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So when the time came to vaccinate the population with the COVID-19 vaccines developed in China, the world expected the vaccination process to start at a similar rate and intensity and would likely make Western governments feel ineffective again.
However, after seven weeks of vaccination in China, the overall picture looks surprisingly disappointing. Since the official start of the vaccination process on December 15. In China, more than 31.2 million have been administered for vaccination. dose of vaccine. According to this indicator, China is only lagging behind the United States, where almost 35 million people have already received a dose of the vaccine. people. Still 1.4 billion. China, with a population of 100 people, administered just over three doses of the vaccine for every 100 people. By comparison, according to Bloomberg, the figure is three doses for every 100 people in the European Union, 10 in the United States and almost 60 in Israel.
Also, vaccination rates lag behind the national target as of February 11. starting the Chinese New Year holidays they vaccinated 50 million. people. The question therefore arises as to whether the world’s second largest economy will be able to remain closed when the rest of the planet, buoyed by acquired global (herd) immunity, begins to open up.
“We think that they could face the challenges of vaccination, because the government is ready to implement this process through top-down mobilization. As we know, this has been the case in the past. But now we see that we have been too optimistic. ”Said Huang Yanzhong, director of the Center for Global Health Studies at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.
The reason for the lack of driving force in China is not the disruption of vaccine distribution or the lack of vaccines itself, as is the case in Europe. The population is vaccinated with more than 25 thousand. venues, including relocated stadiums, museums, and community centers. In addition, pre-vaccination began in the middle of last year, after the exceptional approval of the vaccine.
Vaccines manufactured by local companies Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group Co. can easily be stored in a refrigerator for more than a year. This helps avoid the logistical challenges encountered in other countries when vaccinating with high-tech mRNA vaccines. These vaccines must be kept at extremely low temperatures, as premature thawing risks rendering the vaccine unsuitable.
The slowness seems to be due more to the general hesitation among the Chinese population. They are motivated by a variety of reasons, from concerns about the promised level of safety and efficacy of local vaccines to a lack of urgency, as COVID-19 is largely confined to winter exacerbations in the northern part of the country. This could pose challenges for countries and companies looking to open up to China, a country with more than a million foreign students and the world’s largest consumer market. This situation may also pose problems for the country’s own growth prospects, despite China’s resilience to date.
If vaccination rates remain the same, herd immunity in China won’t develop until half a year later. It is estimated that herd immunity could develop in 11 months in the United States and half a year in the United Kingdom.
“If vaccination is not accelerated, the opening of China’s borders could be further delayed, hampering economic growth in the near future, as the frequency and intensity of COVID-19 outbreaks and the rigidity of restrictions Governments remain larger than necessary, “said Louis Kuysi, Oxford Economics, Head of the Asian Economics Division in Hong Kong. He expects China to speed up the vaccination process at some point, given the potential losses.
Vaccination is not mandatory
Unlike the case of the tests, self-isolation and quarantine of travelers, Chinese officials do not seem to pressure the population to get vaccinated, at least not yet.
Vaccination remains voluntary even for critical worker groups like doctors. Some world leaders are already posing in front of cameras that record a dose of the coronavirus vaccine being injected. However, it is unclear whether Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, have been vaccinated, the first doses of which have been administered to dock workers and state-owned company workers sent abroad since 2020.
Bloomberg spoke with Chinese companies about the need for the vaccine among their employees. According to the companies, interest in vaccines has been expressed by between a third and less than half of employees.
Anne Zhu, a state-owned airline bureau of Usixu province in Jinagsu province, says she was vaccinated because some of the priority flight attendants refused to be vaccinated and were handed over to administrative staff. According to A. Zhu, which is based on the company’s internal information, 1.2 thousand. Only 13 percent of airline employees at the Wuxi branch were vaccinated. This percentage should soon reach a third when the staff receives a new batch of vaccine doses.
Kirk Irwin, a professor of social sciences at the Shanghai International School of America, says only about 30 percent. Students from the faculty of the educational institution, including both Chinese and foreigners, were vaccinated with Sinovac when the opportunity arose.
“Some people think it will be possible to get vaccinated in April or May, or maybe wait, because everyone in Shanghai feels really safe and no one is traveling abroad,” explains K. Irwin, who comes from Canada.
Uneven rhythm
Chinese vaccine developers have been criticized for their lack of transparency about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines they produce, as they publish less data than their counterparts in the West. This has led to skepticism from countries like Pakistan and Indonesia, which have already concluded a vaccine deal with China. As in other countries, Chinese doctors are concerned that they may be seen as test rabbits testing the first vaccines.
Sophia Qu, a doctor at a hospital in southern China’s Guangdong Province, refused to be vaccinated with a dose of the vaccine because she was concerned about possible negative side effects. According to the doctor, so far less than half of her colleagues have been vaccinated.
Part of the Chinese population is also more interested in vaccines manufactured abroad. The scandals of the past encourage them to do so because of the poor quality of vaccines produced in China.
Beijing graduate student Jason, who has chosen not to reveal his name, says he will wait for Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine to be approved in China, and pharmaceutical maker Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co. will receive a license to distribute it. Jason is concerned that vaccines made in China do not provide the same protection as mRNA vaccines, as unclear and conflicting information constantly raises questions about their actual efficacy.
Researchers are looking at whether the combination of the two vaccines and vaccination with two different doses of vaccines can provide stronger protection. This option could provide opportunities for Chinese vaccine manufacturers to work with partners from abroad.
China’s decision to limit the age of those vaccinated also contributes to the vaccination rate being slower than expected. Only people ages 18 to 59 are vaccinated. This means that people over the age of 60, who make up almost a fifth of the country’s population, are excluded, unlike the United States or European countries like Norway, where vaccination takes priority for residents of nursing homes.
Given the successful control of the virus, the level of immunity in China is very low, as relatively few people have been infected. Therefore, China is much more dependent on, say, the United States to vaccinate in order to protect its population, especially if the country seeks to open its borders and allow its citizens to travel freely again.
If the current vaccination rate is maintained, travel abroad will have to be restricted in the coming years, said Nicholas Thomas, an associate professor of health at the City University of Hong Kong.
Although the results confirm the success of China’s zero-tolerance coronavirus control strategy, there is a risk that this success will no longer be relevant if the country does not implement an effective vaccination campaign, says Huang Yanzhong of Seton Hall University.
“The West has done very poorly in trying to control the virus, but if they can form a herd immunity before China, it will send a clear message,” the scientist said. “If the West starts to lift the quarantine and the countries open their borders to each other, it will be a great challenge for the Chinese model.”
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