China vows free vaccines, approves Sinopharm jab
Print Edition
CHINA approved its first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine for general public use yesterday, and vowed to provide free vaccines to all its citizens, marking a major stride toward inoculating the world’s largest population.
The two-dose inactivated vaccine, which got the conditional marketing authorization from the National Medical Products Administration, is developed by the Beijing Biological Products Institute Co Ltd under the China National Biotec Group, which is affiliated with Sinopharm.
The conditional approval for the vaccine means that research is still ongoing, and the company will be required to submit follow-up data as well as reports of any adverse effects after the vaccine is sold on the market, said Chen Shifei, NMPA deputy commissioner.
The interim results of its phase-three clinical trials show 79.34 percent efficacy against COVID-19, meeting the standards of the World Health Organization and the NMPA, according to a press conference by the State Council joint prevention and control mechanism against COVID-19.
It is an inactivated vaccine, which means the virus was grown in a lab and then killed. The germ is then injected into the body to generate an immune response.
The price of the vaccine would depend on the scale of use, but the “premise” was that it would be free for the public in China, said Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the National Health Commission, at the press conference.
“We call on people ... to take an active part in vaccination to protect themselves, family members and others, which is also contributing to global epidemic control,” he said.
China has adopted five technological approaches in developing COVID-19 vaccines and now has five candidates, developed by Sinovac Biotech, CNBG units, CanSino Biologics and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in late-stage trials.
China approved the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines in June, targeting high-risk groups. By November-end, more than 1.5 million doses of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines had been distributed for emergency use, and 60,000 vaccinated people have traveled abroad to high-risk regions, with no severe adverse reactions reported, Zeng said.
Winter-spring period
On December 15, China officially launched a vaccination program for the winter-spring period targeting a number of key groups, including those engaged in handling imported cold-chain products, customs officers, medical workers and people working in public transport and fresh markets. In the past 15 days, the number of doses of vaccination among the key groups exceeded 3 million.
“The 3 million vaccine doses, plus the previous 1.5 million doses, fully prove that Chinese vaccines are safe,” Zeng noted.
After the COVID-19 vaccines are approved to enter the market, especially when production capacity increases, China will comprehensively vaccinate senior citizens, people with underlying conditions, and the general public in an orderly manner, the NHC official said.
“China will vaccinate the eligible population as widely as possible, and gradually build an immune barrier in the whole population to control the epidemic,” said Zeng. He added that 60 or even 70 percent of the vaccination rate is needed to establish universal protection.
“Once the Chinese COVID-19 vaccines are developed and put into use, China will fulfill its commitment to make the vaccines global public goods and provide them to the world at a fair and reasonable price,” said Shen Bo, a foreign ministry official, at the press conference.
Shen noted that China has always attached importance to the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing nations.
“China also calls on the international community to work together to promote the fair distribution of vaccines in the world and strive to make vaccines public goods that people of all countries can use and afford,” Shen said.
The approval comes after the United Arab Emirates this month became the first country to roll out the vaccine to the public, and as Pakistan announced a 1.2-million dose purchase deal with Sinopharm.
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