Kazakhstan Ready to Export QazVac Vaccine

Nur-Sultan, MINA – Kazakhstan is willing and ready to accelerate the production of its COVID-19 vaccine QazVac and export it abroad, said Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Tokayev added that the country will be ready to export its own vaccine once the third phase of clinical trials is over by the middle of July, and the national immunisation target is reached.

During the Second OIC Science and Technology Summit, which was held virtually on June 16, President Tokayev assured that OIC countries will be included in the QazVac vaccine export.

Kazakhstan’s COVID-19 vaccine Qazvac could also be included in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) list of vaccines authorised for emergency use, Tokayev said, as reported by Kazinform news agency.

During a meeting of Foreign Investors’ Council, Tokayev assured that Kazakhstan was among the few countries that are prepared to make and produce COVID-19 vaccines thanks to the country’s scientific abilities.

The Kazakhstan President said that he discussed the matter during his meeting with WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on May 28, as the organisation is considering the inclusion of QazVac in its list of vaccines authorised for emergency use, the report said.

According to the Presidential office of Kazakhstan ‘Akorda’, during the meeting, Tokayev told the WHO director-general that the QazVac efficacy reached 96 per cent in the preliminary results of clinical trials, as the authorities started the process of obtaining WHO approval for the vaccine.

Tedros was reported as saying that Kazakhstan’s ambition to have 55 per cent of the population vaccinated by the end of the year was very good. He also admired Kazakhstan’s ability in vaccinating two million people by the end of May.

“President Tokayev and I agreed that the way forward from the COVID-19 pandemic is investing in universal health coverage. I commended Kazakhstan’s leadership and willingness to share its rich experience with other countries,” the WHO head further said.

Meanwhile, The Astana Times reported that the Kazakh Biosafety Research Institute launched clinical trials for QazCoVac-P, another Kazakh COVID-19 vaccine on June 15.

QazCoVac-P is the second vaccine after QazVac to successfully pass the preclinical trials in a specialised enterprise at the Ministry of Healthcare in Kazakhstan, meeting all the safety requirements.

The clinical trials include volunteers from 18 to 50 years old, and are held at the multidisciplinary hospital in the city of Taraz.

Compared to QazVac, which is an inactivated vaccine, the new QazCoVac-p is a subunit vaccine based on the artificially synthesised proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

The new QazCoVac-P vaccine is a two-dose vaccine. Currently, it stimulates immunity in the body of vaccinated laboratory animals on the 14th day after the intramuscular injection of the second dose.

According to the Kazakhstan Ministry of Healthcare, over 2.5 million people have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine. The vaccines used include the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, the Kazakh vaccine QazVac, the Chinese Sinopharm produced in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and named Hayat-Vax.(R/R1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)