China’s health officials have approved a Covid vaccine from state-owned Sinopharm for general use in the population, the government announced.
At a news conference in Beijing, a state task force announced that the vaccine had exceeded World Health Organization standards and would help establish effective immunity in China.
Health officials said that vulnerable groups would be prioritized before the general population. Key groups are already receiving vaccines under emergency approvals, including about a million who have received the Sinopharm vaccine.
Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the national health commission, said he was aiming for 60-70% vaccine coverage, which should establish collective immunity. “Since the Chinese vaccine is proven to be safe and effective, we would like to encourage our people to participate on a voluntary, informed and informed basis,” he said.
The authorities did not provide specific dates, but said the deployment would begin “soon” at a “significantly reduced” cost.
Zheng Zhongwei said that the vaccine was a public good and that the cost of production was “the only price base”.
Sinopharm is a state-owned pharmaceutical company with two vaccine candidates among China’s five experimental treatments in international trials in the final stages. Public statements about Sinopharm vaccines do not seem to clarify which of the two candidates is being discussed.
The approval followed an announcement on Wednesday by Sinopharm that phase 3 tests found that his vaccine was 79% effective. This followed trials conducted in the United Arab Emirates reporting 86% effectiveness in early December. The vaccines have not been tested in China because the virus is not prevalent enough, officials say.
Chinese vaccine developers have not released test data. On Thursday, a health official said Sinopharm’s data would be published “later” in Chinese and foreign medical journals.
At an annual meeting of health professionals on December 22, Zhang Wenhong, head of infectious diseases at Fundan University’s Huasha hospital, said there was apprehension among the Chinese about the vaccine produced domestically, and party leaders should be vaccinated first. to reassure the audience. A recording of his comments spread quickly on Chinese social media before being censored.
Sinopharm and rival developer Sinovac created their vaccines using the more traditional method of using an inactive virus to trigger an immune response. They are more difficult to manufacture quickly than other types and have the potential to cause an unbalanced immune response, but they have shown historic success.
Mao Junfeng, head of consumer products at China’s industry ministry, said vaccine producers had increased production capacity. “We believe that vaccine production in China will meet the demand for large-scale vaccination and, in the future, the ministry will follow plans [of the central government] … and help companies expand production capacity and ensure that a regular production and supply chain provides effective and affordable vaccines for people. “
In September, the United Arab Emirates was the first country outside of China to approve the emergency use of a vaccine against Sinopharm. He has since been made available in Bahrain and sent to Egypt, while Morocco plans to rely on him to vaccinate 80% of its adult population. Other countries have signed a contract to receive the Sinovac vaccine, the other pioneer in China produced domestically. In October, China announced that it would join Covax, the international initiative that aims to ensure equitable global access to vaccines.