Beijing greenlights two coronavirus vaccines for clinical trials – health officials

China has approved clinical trials for two coronavirus vaccines, Xinhua reported on Tuesday, citing the country's Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism, potentially paving a path to a cure for the lethal pathogen gripping the globe. Tests have already begun for both compounds.

Developed by the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) and the Beijing-based Sinovac Research and Development Co Ltd, both potential cures are “inactivated,” meaning they consist of virus particles with no ability to produce disease, in contrast to “live” vaccines.

First appearing in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, the Covid-19 pandemic has since swept some 185 nations, infecting nearly two million and killing just shy of 120,000 people worldwide. Though scientists are racing to find effective vaccines – 70 are currently in development, three of which have already entered human trials, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – there is to date no cure for the virus.