Chinese-made vaccines boost global response to COVID-19

BEIJING -- China has been contributing to the world's fight against COVID-19 as it is endeavoring to make its vaccines a global public good.

In Chile, the country's public health institute on Jan 20 approved the emergency use of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus disease developed by Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech.

"We obtained very good results regarding the manufacturing quality ... We are approving a safe and effective vaccine for the population," said Heriberto Garcia, acting director of the institute.

The emergency approval of the Chinese-made vaccine will boost Chile's mass vaccination campaign, Health Minister Enrique Paris said on Jan 20.

"This is very important news ... millions of doses of this vaccine will allow us to vaccinate many people to try to control the virus," Paris said.

On Jan 19, Serbian Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar received Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first person to receive the vaccine in the country.

After the vaccination, Loncar told the citizens to get vaccinated because that is "the only way" for Serbia to fight the novel coronavirus.

He pointed out that the Chinese vaccine is the third registered vaccine in Serbia, after the Pfizer-BioNtech and the Sputnik V vaccines, and these are efficient and safe vaccines.

One million doses of the Sinopharm's vaccine arrived in Serbia on Jan 16 and were welcomed at the Belgrade Airport by President Aleksandar Vucic.

Iraqi Ministry of Health on Jan 19 said in a brief statement that the Iraqi National Board for Selection of Drugs (NBSD) had approved the emergency use of China's Sinopharm and British AstraZeneca vaccines to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Previously, the NBSD already approved the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to combat the pandemic.

At the same time, gaps in access to COVID-19 vaccines, especially those between the developed and developing countries, have alerted the international community.

Opening the 148th session of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Executive Board, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Jan 18 warned of the moral consequences of the lack of COVID-19 vaccines for poorer countries, saying that the higher-income countries are privileged compared to the developing countries.

"More than 39 million doses of vaccine have now been administered in at least 49 higher-income countries. Just 25 doses have been given in one lowest-income country. Not 25 million, not 25,000, just 25," he said.

In order to solve the problem, China calls on the international community to work together to contribute to the equitable distribution and use of COVID-19 vaccines around the world and help defeat the pandemic.

"We have always maintained that the virus knows no borders and humanity shares a common destiny. Solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapon to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also the common consensus of the international community," China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Jan 20.