This archive report was first published on 29 June 2020.
On June 25, China's Central Military Commission granted approval for the military to use the Ad5-nCoV vaccine candidate, developed jointly by CanSino Biologics and the Academy of Military Science, for a period of one year.
The vaccine candidate has shown some efficacy in preventing diseases caused by the coronavirus, which has claimed half a million lives globally, according to CanSino.
CanSino declined to disclose whether the inoculation of the vaccine candidate is mandatory or optional, citing commercial secrets.
The military approval follows China's decision to offer two other vaccine candidates to employees at state-owned firms traveling overseas.
Over a dozen vaccines from more than 100 candidates globally are being tested in humans, but no vaccine has yet been approved for commercial use against the illness caused by the new coronavirus.
