UAE says Chinese coronavirus vaccine is 86% effective after trial
09 December 2020
The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday that the coronavirus vaccine developed by China's state-owned Sinopharm appears to be safe and 86% effective, according to an interim analysis of the company's Phase III trials.
Why it matters: It's the first public release of information about one of the main Chinese-developed COVID-19 vaccines, which was tested in the UAE in a trial involving 31,000 volunteers from 125 countries that began in September.
- The Emirati statement contained few details, only noting that the announcement is "a significant vote of confidence by the UAE’s health authorities in the safety and efficacy of this vaccine."
- The vaccine has already been granted an emergency use authorization in the UAE, which has consistently been reporting over 1,000 new cases per day since the start of November. Over 500 deaths have been reported in total.
The big picture: There's a lot at stake for China, which has invested heavily in scientific research and development over the past two decades and is aiming to become a scientific powerhouse on the global stage.
- The Chinese government was heavily criticized during the start of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan for a lack of health transparency, which can affect the perception of science at home and abroad — including in the vaccine race.
- Of the more than 200 COVID-19 vaccines in development around the world, 20 involve teams in China, per the Milken Institute.
Go deeper: China's high-stakes vaccine moment
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.