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- Five COVID-19 vaccines made in China have entered the final sprint for state approval, officials said at a news conference on Saturday, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
- More than a million Chinese citizens have already been vaccinated with vaccines approved for emergency use.
- “This will gradually forge an immunity barrier among the public to stop the spread of COVID-19 in China,” said Cui Gang of the National Health Commission, according to Xinhua.
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
Five COVID-19 vaccines made in China have entered the “final sprint” for state approval, officials said at a news conference on Saturday, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Vaccines are moving rapidly through the approval process, with phase 3 human testing on the horizon, Zheng Zhongwei of the National Health Commission told The South China Morning Post.
“If the data meets the relevant requirements, the Chinese drug regulatory authority will issue approval for market launch or release with conditions,” Zheng told reporters at a briefing on Saturday in Beijing.
The country also unveiled plans for a two-step vaccine launch, saying it would inoculate “priority” risk groups this winter and next spring, before hitting the broader public market in the spring, according to Xinhua. quasi-state communication. .
—China Xinhua News (@XHNews) December 19, 2020
“During the winter and spring seasons, carrying out vaccination work against the new coronavirus among some key population groups is of great importance for the prevention of epidemics,” said Zeng Yixin, deputy minister of NHC, at the press conference. , according to Reuters.
To begin its rollout, China will focus its vaccination efforts on people working in front-line positions, including medicine and disease control. The first phase of the rollout will also include people working in public places with heavy foot traffic and travel hubs. That will include those who work in imports, aviation, public transportation and markets.
Those working in port inspection and quarantine functions will also be included in the first round.
“This will gradually forge an immunity barrier among the public to stop the spread of COVID-19 in China,” Cui Gang said, according to Xinhua.
The second phase of the launch would begin in the spring or later. After its homegrown vaccines gain official state approval, Beijing plans to start administering the vaccine to the rest of the general population, according to Xinhua.
The country has already started emergency use of various vaccines, with more than a million people already inoculated in China.
At a briefing in Beijing on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin declined to say how many people would be included in the first wave of vaccines. Responding to a journalist’s question, he said: “Regarding vaccines, China attaches great importance to the safety and efficacy of vaccines.”
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