SINGAPORE - China's inactivated vaccines can provide excellent protection from severe symptoms caused by the Delta variant of COVID-19, a Singaporean newspaper has cited a latest research report as saying.

The report developed by researchers in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong was published on the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Weekly on Friday, the Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao reported Saturday.

The study found that the inactivated vaccines provide "excellent protection from pneumonia and severe illness caused by the Delta variant -- results that are consistent with the phase III efficacy clinical trials against the original SARS-CoV-2 prototype," the report said.

"As the pandemic continues, SARS-CoV-2 evolves in unpredictable directions, with emerging variants that differ in transmissibility, infectiousness by age group, and severity of illness. Since vaccines are essential tools for pandemic control, it is vital that their performance is continuously assessed," it added.