China is injecting thousands of people with injections of the Covid-19 vaccine, which are still in testing and therefore their efficacy is not proven, according to reports. Those who receive these vaccines must also sign a “nondisclosure agreement”, according to which they cannot speak to the media about it.
The high-risk population, including personnel of state-owned companies, government officials, personnel of vaccine companies, and teachers, are being vaccinated in emergencies. Global health experts are raising questions about whether or not their consent is being taken.
In its defense, China has said that the World Health Organization supported China’s experimental coronavirus vaccine program, which began in July. China informed the WHO in June, Zheng Zhongwei, an official with the National Health Commission, told Reuters.
WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan has said that countries can approve the use of medical products within their own jurisdiction in the current emergency situation, but only as a “temporary solution.”
China currently has 11 vaccines in clinical trials and four in Phrase 3 trials, including. two are developed by the state-backed China National Biotec Group and one by Sinovac Biotech. Another experimental vaccine was developed by CanSino Biologics, which was approved for use in the Chinese military in June.
(With contributions from the agency)
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