An elderly woman receives COVID-19 vaccine booster in Shanghai. Photo: VCG

Two Chinese vaccine manufacturers have been approved to send their Omicron-specific vaccine candidates into clinical trials on the Chinese mainland, while cities like Shanghai and Beijing are combating the Omicron variant. 

Sinopharm and SINOVAC said in statements on Tuesday that their Omicron-specific inactivated candidates have been approved by national authorities to enter clinical trials on the mainland. 

The news came less than half a month after the two companies said they had received approval for clinical trials of their Omicron candidates in Hong Kong. 

In a statement the Global Times obtained, Sinopharm said it will conduct a random, double-blind and cohort study among people aged 18 and above who have accepted two or three shots of vaccines to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the Omicron-specific candidate. 

Moreover, Sinopharm is also developing Omicron-specific candidates with mRNA technology and recombinant vector technology, chief scientist of Sinopharm's subsidiary China National Biotec Group Zhang Yuntao told the Global Times during a previous interview.

The company had also submitted clinical trial applications to the national health authorities for the two candidates, Zhang said. 

He said he hoped Sinopharm's Omicron-specific candidates, after being put on the market, could be provided to people who had received two or three shots of mRNA or inactivated shots to help protect them from the epidemic at that time.  

In another statement SINOVAC sent to the Global Times on Tuesday, it said that during the trials, it would test the safety and immunogenicity of the Omicron-specific candidate on various groups.

SINOVAC will continue its extensive cooperation with global partners to promote research on its vaccine based on the original COVID-19 strain against emerging variants, as well as clinical research on sequential immunization of new variant strain vaccines, to evaluate their safety and effectiveness, read the statement.