A Chinese drugmaker has said its coronavirus vaccine was found to be 79.3 per cent effective at preventing infection in preliminary data from the final round of testing, moving Beijing closer to possibly being able to fulfill its pledge to supply other developing countries.

According to the Associated Press, Sinopharm’s data release is the first official announcement of late-stage trial data from a Chinese company on its vaccine candidates. Its effectiveness rate is behind Moderna’s vaccine, which is more than 94pc effective, and Pfizer’s, which is 95pc effective. Scientists had cautioned that Covid-19 vaccines may only be about as effective as the flu vaccine, which generally is about 50pc effective.

However, the company did not provide additional information, and final proof of the vaccine’s effectiveness will depend on publication of fuller scientific data.