Chinese vaccine makers are rushing to meet the needs of China and a growing list of countries, but there are signs that vaccinations are slowing down than planned.
In the Middle East and North Africa, countries dependent on Chinese vaccines are experiencing delays in inoculating their populations. The UAE, the first country outside of China to acquire a vaccine from Chinese drug company Sinopharm, has switched to prioritizing the elderly, the chronically ill and other select groups. It offered everyone shots, so residents had to wait weeks for appointments.
At home, Chinese authorities have given out more doses than many other countries, but several Western countries are ahead per capita – and China has not yet started vaccinating the elderly due to a lack of clinical trial data for that age group.
According to the country’s health committee, China had administered more than 40 million doses by February 9. That’s far behind the goal set by health officials in a December conference call with China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, according to people familiar with the issue: to distribute 100 million doses before the start of the Lunar New Year holiday on Friday.
China is not alone. Shipment of vaccines has slowed around the world. But many developing countries count on Chinese vaccines as one of the few affordable and available options, and Beijing has made vaccination diplomacy part of its foreign policy.