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A leading Chinese Covid-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech was just 50.38% effective in late-stage trials in Brazil, significantly lower than earlier results showed, according to a statement published by the government of Sao Paulo Tuesday. While the number exceeds the threshold required for regulatory approval, it falls far below the 78% previously announced, raising questions as to the veracity of the data and fueling skepticism over the apparent lack of transparency regarding Chinese vaccines. (Gan and Arias, 1/13)

Brazil’s Butantan Institute, a São Paulo-based public institute that is the first to complete late-stage trials of the CoronaVac vaccine, had said last week that it was shown to be 78% effective and offer total protection against severe cases of the disease. But after rising pressure from Brazilian scientists, some of whom accused the trial’s organizers of misleading the public, Butantan said Tuesday those rates only included volunteers who suffered mild to severe cases of Covid-19. When data from all volunteers was considered—including those who contracted “very mild” cases of Covid-19 and required no medical assistance—the total efficacy rate fell to 50.4%, Butantan said. (Pearson, Magalhaes and Deng, 1/12)

Despite the worse than anticipated results, Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the US based Council on Foreign Relations, said the Sinovac vaccine would still be "usable" by helping to relieve pressures on healthcare systems while reducing potential deaths, given its higher efficacy for moderate and severe cases that would require medical treatment. (Gan and Arias, 1/13)

Brazil and other developing nations have pinned their hopes on Chinese vaccines as wealthier countries snap up vaccines developed in the West. Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine is also cheaper and easier to transport because it can be stored in ordinary refrigerators — unlike the vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna that must be kept at subfreezing temperatures. (Lee, 1/12)

Iran and Cuba have begun trials of a joint Covid-19 vaccine, as Tehran fights the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East while pledging not to use vaccines from the U.S. and U.K. The Cuban vaccine, called Soberana 02, is the most advanced of Cuba’s four vaccine candidates and will be developed in cooperation between Cuba’s Finlay Vaccine Institute and Iran’s Pasteur Institute, authorities from both countries said Monday. (Rasmussen and Eqbali, 1/12)