With UAE Approval, China’s COVID-19 Vaccines Make Their Official International Debut
The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday became the first foreign country to officially approve the use of a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine. UAE’s health ministry reported that the vaccine made by Sinopharm was 86% effective in phase 3 clinical trials.
Abu Dhabi’s decision provides a huge boost for Chinese vaccine makers who’ve fallen behind U.S. and European pharmaceutical companies in recent weeks in getting their treatments through the last stage of clinical trials. Sinopharm is conducting similar tests in ten other countries including Egypt, Bahrain, and Jordan.
The key question now is whether Sinopharm and other Chinese vaccine manufacturers will be able to meet the enormous demand around the world, heightened in part by Chinese President Xi Jinping’s assurance last May to make a Chinese-made vaccine available to developing countries as a “global public good.”
Sinovac, another Chinese vaccine-maker, said it will be able to produce 300 million doses a year, sufficient to innoculate just 150 million people (the treatment requires two doses per person). That isn’t very much considering China alone will require around two billion injections.
Sinopharm, for its part, claims that it will be able to produce 100 million doses in the next few weeks and then an additional 1 billion before the next of next year.
So, if African countries like Morocco, Egypt, and Kenya are going to depend on Chinese vaccine suppliers, then there’s probably a good likelihood they’re going to have to wait until mid-2021 at the earliest.
Plans to manufacture the Chinese vaccines in countries like Egypt may help to boost supplies for developing regions in Africa and the Middle East.
SUGGESTED READING:
- Financial Times: Covid vaccine from China’s Sinopharm is 86% effective, says UAE by Simeon Kerr and Christian Shepherd
- The Diplomat: China’s COVID-19 Vaccines Move Forward by Shannon Tiezzi
- Sydney Morning Herald: Beijing races to deploy five vaccines despite questions over results by Eryk Bagshaw and James Massola
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The post With UAE Approval, China’s COVID-19 Vaccines Make Their Official International Debut appeared first on The China Africa Project.
source https://chinaafricaproject.com/2020/12/10/with-uae-approval-chinas-covid-19-vaccines-make-their-official-international-debut/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=with-uae-approval-chinas-covid-19-vaccines-make-their-official-international-debut
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