Close to a vaccine, but not quite there yet

On Sunday, the National Intellectual Property Administration reportedly approved the first domestic patent for a COVID-19 vaccine. A joint team led by Chen Wei from the Academy of Military Medical Sciences and CanSino Biologics Inc had applied for the patent.

Although a significant achievement in Chinese scientists' fight against COVID-19, many people wrongly shared the news on social networking sites, such as communications app WeChat Moments, as "The first domestic COVID-19 vaccine has come to the market."

People must understand that approval of the patent means the State recognizes the uniqueness of the technology the applicants are using for research and the need to protect the method from duplication. Such checks definitely help the researchers in their quest but it does not mean that we already have a vaccine.

In its letter of approval, the NIPA said it approves of the materials the researching team is working on. The details have not been made public, but the scientists are known to be working on a recombinant vaccine based on a replication-deficient virus.

People's Daily reported that the vaccine is in phase III clinical trials, which are a necessary prerequisite before it can be approved for use. The vaccine was among the earliest ones to have cleared phase I and phase II clinical trials, and its safety and effectiveness have already been proved. Phase III clinical trials are like an additional lock on an already locked door to make it foolproof.

It is hoped the vaccine will hit the market soon. However, that success will be impossible to achieve without the painstaking efforts of the research team, the doctors and nurses, and the considerable numbers of volunteers who received the vaccine for trial. Their contribution should not be forgotten.