China is offering employees of some large state-run companies the option of being inoculated with two coronavirus vaccines currently in development, illustrating how quickly authorities are moving to test the viability of the shots.
Employees intending to travel overseas for work can volunteer to be administered shots developed by China National Biotec Group Co. or CNBG, a subsidiary of Beijing-based Sinopharm Group Co., according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified as the offer hasn’t been made public. The proposal was relayed to state-owned companies by the government body that oversees them, the people said.
CNBG is among the Chinese companies bidding to create a successful vaccine against the new coronavirus. There are currently five Chinese vaccine candidates in the human trial stage, competing with products being developed by global pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca Plc and Moderna Inc. that can bring an end to the pandemic and allow countries to reopen more fully after economically punishing lockdowns and travel curbs.
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