Covid, 5.4% of Chinese population vaccinated

15% increase on previous week, but vaccination is slow due to the production and speed of the program. Britain has so far vaccinated 41%; the United States 25%. More than 60 countries have authorized the use of the Chinese vaccine. Only one of the four vaccines has obtained emergency approval from the World Health Organization. Lack in data on third phase. Criticism of "vaccine diplomacy" with Xi Jinping’s aid to Africa and Latin America.

Beijing (AsiaNews) - The Chinese Health Ministry says that 5.4% of the population has received one dose of the anti-Covid vaccine, with 75 million doses having been administered. The figure was released two days ago, when in a press conference the ministry announced an acceleration to the national vaccination program.

Indeed, the reported figure shows a 15% increase compared to a week earlier, but the data lags far behind Britain which has so far vaccinated 41% of its people and the United States which is at 25%.

The slow roll-out is due primarily to the vaccine production plans. The government is helping pharmaceutical companies with experts to ensure "stability" in production. The Chinese Vaccine Association has declared that by the end of 2021 the country will be able to produce 1.8 billion doses.

Speed ​​is also an issue. According to Caixin, between March 14 and March 20, China performed 10 million injections for vaccines, with an average of 1.43 million per day. By comparison, on March 11, the United States injected more than 3 million doses in a single day.

Unlike many countries around the world, which have prioritized the elderly and the vulnerable, the Chinese plan first provides for the vaccination of a "high priority" group, then for those at risk, and finally for the public.

The government has approved four anti-Covid vaccines: two from Sinopharm; one from Sinovac; one of CanSino. Everyone uses a debilitated virus, except CanSino's, which uses a viral vector. According to state media, more than 60 countries have authorized the use of the Chinese vaccine.

However, so far, only one of the vaccines has obtained emergency approval from the World Health Organization. No one has received normal approval based on the results published on phase three (large-scale trial) because those results have not been published.

Many analysts criticize China for its "vaccine diplomacy", in short its attracting support from countries by helping them in the fight against Covid. President Xi Jinping has promised to set aside $ 2 billion to vaccinate the African continent and $ 1 billion for Latin America and the Caribbean countries.

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