Chinese vaccine manufacturers are rushing to meet the needs of China and a growing list of countries, but there are signs that vaccinations are slower than planned.
In the Middle East and North Africa, countries that depended on Chinese vaccines are experiencing delays in trying to inoculate their populations. The United Arab Emirates, the first country outside China to approve a vaccine by Chinese state pharmaceutical Sinopharm, has now given priority to the elderly, chronically ill and other selected groups. He was offering injections to everyone, which left residents waiting weeks for appointments.
At home, Chinese authorities distributed more doses than many other countries, but several Western countries are ahead per capita – and China has not started vaccinating the elderly because of a lack of clinical trial data for this age group.
China administered more than 40 million doses as of February 9, according to the country’s health commission. This falls far short of the goal that health officials set on a December conference call with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, according to people familiar with the matter: distributing 100 million doses before the start of the New Year holiday. Lunar on Friday.
China is not alone. Vaccine shipments are delayed worldwide. But many developing countries are relying on vaccines from China as one of the few affordable and available options, and Beijing has made vaccine diplomacy a part of its foreign policy.