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In the United States, with less than 5% of the world’s population, there is little concern about the fate of the other 95% of the world facing the pandemic.
When, how, and under what conditions a vaccine will be distributed in the United States is an overwhelming concern in the United States. COVID-19 death rates in the country have reached staggering levels and continue to rise. A balance of 500,000 deaths is scheduled for February.
The current administration in Washington has made it clear that vaccines for the rest of the world will not arrive until America’s needs are met. This was reinforced by President Donald Trump at a G20 meeting on November 21, the international economic bloc of governments and central bank governors.
China Global Health Project
Meanwhile, in China, the COVID-19 virus is under control. There have been fewer than 5,000 deaths. His containment of the disease. – and its centrally planned economy – It has enabled China to become a force capable of providing essential medical supplies and personal protective equipment on a global scale. (See “China’s Socialist Planning and COVID-19,” Workers World, April 3)
Now China has become the only country capable and willing to freely provide hundreds of millions of doses of life-saving vaccines around the world.
Chinese leaders have promised priority to developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America access to their successful vaccines. The promise is that China’s vaccines will be a global public health product. These are not empty promises. China has the technical capacity to mass produce millions of doses and, more importantly, to distribute the vaccines around the world.
In an additional challenge for billionaire private pharmaceutical companies, China is committed to providing the technological know-how to manufacture these vaccines locally.
At the start of the pandemic, Chinese leaders repeatedly emphasized that China’s vaccines were for sharing, especially with the developing world. On May 18, Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the opening of the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly, promised that the development and deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine in China would be created for the global public good. The WHA is the decision-making body of the UN World Health Organization.
In On May 29, when the pandemic emerged, Trump cut all links with WHO, with no subsequent offers of assistance or cooperation from the United States in the investigation of a global pandemic.
Now, China’s contribution will ensure the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries. (tinyurl.com/y3d26p25) China also promised $ 2 billion to those countries for the infrastructure needed to deal with the pandemic. (tinyurl.com/y33wfbrt)
At a June video summit with African leaders, Xi stated that “once the development and deployment of a COVID-19 vaccine in China is completed, African countries will be among the first to benefit.” (tinyurl.com/y4d34qoe) This promise was reiterated by President Xi in the November 21 G20 Summit via video.
On October 8, China signed an agreement with GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance to formally join a vaccine implementation plan. This means that China’s vaccines will be a global public product and will be given priority in supplying vaccines to developing countries. (tinyurl.com/y2a5zurs)
American attacks from the sidelines
US imperialism is unable to match China’s incredible humanitarian effort. Therefore, it is not surprising that China’s global aid is repeatedly criticized by the American corporate media and Washington think tanks.
CNN raised the capitalist alarm against the free distribution of hundreds of millions of doses of vaccines by citing Yanzhong Huang, Senior Researcher at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations: “Vaccines can also be used by Beijing as a ‘foreign policy instrument to promote soft power and project international influence’ [in] vaccine diplomacy. “(tinyurl.com/y4lwv7oy)
But even as they criticize China for providing aid around the world, the American media has been forced to admit that China has largely eliminated the coronavirus within its borders. Because China has essentially contained the virus, there is no urgent need to vaccinate all of its population of 1.4 billion.
Five new vaccines
China currently has five coronavirus vaccines developed by four companiess. All five vaccines have reached phase 3 clinical trials in at least 16 counties. Phase 3 is the final testing of a vaccine before it is deemed safe for mass distribution.
The companies that develop Chinese vaccines are both state-owned public companies and private companies that work in collaboration with companies around the world. Their collective goal is to ensure large-scale vaccine production. at affordable prices, along with technology that will enable local production.
CanSino Biologics, which developed a coronavirus vaccine with a Chinese military research unit, will deliver 35 million doses of its vaccine to Mexico, one of the 5 host countries for its trials. The prestigious international medical journal, “The Lancet”, published data from clinical trials of the first and second phases of this vaccine. (tinyurl.com/yd8uheb3)
Sinovac Biotech Ltd. is another China-based biopharmaceutical company that focuses on vaccine research, development and manufacturing. Sinovac has signed agreements with PT Bio Farma, a leading Indonesian biopharmaceutical company, for the supply, local production and technology license to produce at least 40 million doses of CoronaVac there by March 2021. Sinovac is also providing 46 million doses to Brazil and 50 million doses to Turkey. (tinyurl.com/y5zz3uqk)
China National Biotec Group, a unit of the state pharmaceutical giant China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), has two vaccines undergoing phase 3 trials in 10 countries, mainly in the Middle East and South America. CNBG is capable of producing more than 1 billion doses in 2021.
State-owned Sinopharm announced on November 19 that its coronavirus vaccine had been administered to nearly 1 million people with no signs of adverse side effects. (tinyurl.com/y25pgtcv)
Easy-to-share vaccines
Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines Pharmaceutical companies are similar to effective vaccines in many other pandemics, such as polio and flu vaccines. These vaccines are easier to replicate with the technology currently implemented globally. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were developed using new technology, which makes these vaccines more difficult to mass-produce.
Chinese vaccines have another crucial advantage: they do not require deep-frozen temperatures for storage and shipping. To remain viable, Pfizer vaccines should be stored at -75 ° C (-103 ° F) ultra-cold and Moderna vaccines at -20 ° C. Chinese vaccines only require standard refrigeration at 2 ° C to 8 ° C (36 ° F). F to 46 ° F).
But even a temperature that’s not ultra-cold is challenging to maintain during transportation and storage in much of the world.
Cainiao, a Chinese logistics arm of the Alibaba Group, says it now has an end-to-end climate-controlled infrastructure ready to distribute Chinese vaccines around the world. The company has partnered with Ethiopian Airlines to launch cold chain cargo operations for the transport of temperature-sensitive medicines from China in Africa and the Middle East. These New air cargo flights will operate twice a week from Shenzhen International Airport to Africa. (tinyurl.com/y44u3bt7)
China defies big pharma
New Chinese vaccines, and a commitment to sharing technology and distribution with the world, is a fundamental challenge for the US pharmaceutical industry. corporations. These multi-billion dollar companies are among the Highest profit returns of any industry group. (tinyurl.com/y359jurr)
The US government funded COVID vaccine research with more than $ 10.5 billion in grants to pharmaceutical companies. But unlike previous polio and vaccine research, these giant private corporations will sell the publicly funded product to government agencies at a huge profit.
Capitalist private property is the greatest obstacle to solving any global problem that endangers the public good.
Photo: Liu Rui / GT
