Chinese expert claims Sinopharm vaccine ‘most unsafe’ with 73 side effects

NEW DELHI, Jan 8, 2021, India Today. A Chinese doctor has called the Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine the ‘most unsafe in the world’ and claimed it has 73 side effects. Dr Tao Lina, a vaccine expert from Shanghai, took to his social media account to sound an alarm about the Sinopharm vaccine but soon went on to retract the charges, India Today reported.

According to a Daily Mail report, vaccine expert Dr Tao Lina claimed on his social media account on Weibo that the vaccine developed by state-run pharma company Sinopharm, is extremely unsafe.

However, as soon as his statement went viral, the vaccine expert apologised to the nation and his fellow countrymen for his “imprudent” comments.

The now deleted comments on the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine had listed side effects of “pain around the injection area, headache, high blood pressure, the loss of vision and taste, and urinary incontinence”.

A report by Chinese state-run media outlet Global Times has now said that Tao Lina has “clarified that Chinese inactivated vaccines are safe” and said “VOA has twisted his words to mean the opposite in their news article”.

Global Times has said Tao Lina had posted sarcastic comments on the Sinopharm vaccine meant as a disclaimer for hostile parties but was wrongly interpreted by VOA on its site. While Tao Lina posted his comments on Weibo, it is no longer available on the social media site, reported The Daily Mail.

The Chinese state-run media outlet quoted Tao Lina as saying, “I have never said that inactivated vaccines lacked safety and efficacy. Instead, I frequently emphasised that inactivated vaccines produced by China are safe in multiple articles to dismiss public concerns over vaccinations.”

In another post on Weibo on Thursday, Tao Lina has refuted his own allegations against the Sinopharm vaccine. The Chinese government had granted conditional approval to the Sinopharm vaccine, which has shown over 79% efficacy.