China has made new progress in the research and development (R&D) of COVID-19 vaccines with multiple technological innovations, said the vaccine research team with the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council (JPCMSC) on Wednesday.

The country has three monovalent inactivated vaccines against Omicron variants that are undergoing clinical sequential trials in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said the research team. The three vaccines are also tried in United Arab Emirates, they said, adding that the trials have all been going well so far. 

Facing the complex epidemic situation, experts from the JPCMSC said that vaccination is still an effective measure of active immunization.

Nine multivalent vaccines against COVID-19 variants have entered clinical trials in China, with some in phase III clinical trials. The country is also actively deploying and promoting the R&D of the broad-spectrum COVID-19 vaccines.

In addition, an adenovirus vector vaccine for inhalation and a recombinant protein vaccine have also been approved recently. The two can be used for emergency sequential booster immunization in specified populations six months after they receive two doses of inactivated vaccines.

So far, China has a total of 46 COVID-19 vaccines that have entered clinical trials, and 21 vaccines have been approved for phase III clinical trials overseas.

Moreover, nine China-made COVID-19 vaccines, including an inactivated vaccine, adenovirus vector vaccine and recombinant protein vaccine, have been approved for the market or emergency use with conditions, and three vaccines are on the emergency use list of the World Health Organization.