Chinese Urgency On Covid-19 Goes Missing In Jabs Drive
Muhammad Irfan Published March 07, 2021 | 08:30 AM
Beijing, March 7 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Mar, 2021 ) :Shirley Shi has received three offers to be vaccinated against Covid-19 -- through her hometown, her Beijing residential area and her office area -- but the human resources manager is in no rush.
"I'd like to keep an eye out for any adverse effects first," said Shi, who like many Chinese seems happy to take a wait-and-see approach.
Through aggressive lockdowns and mass testing of millions, China has had success controlling the virus that first surfaced on its soil in late 2019.
But vaccinating the world's most populous country is a different story.
China is still working to ramp up production of its four domestically-produced vaccines and has yet to approve any foreign-made shots in a global race for bragging rights.
For Shi, the problem is not accessibility, but a lack of urgency.
"With China's control of the epidemic domestically and my lack of plans to go abroad in the near-term, there is no need for now," she said.
Chinese experts have signalled the vaccination rate could soon quicken.
Zhong Nanshan, a respected pulmonologist and key national figure in the fight against Covid-19, said recently that China plans to immunise 40 percent of its 1.4 billion people by June.
That would require massively increasing the number of jabs given in China, where currently only around 3.5 percent of the population is inoculated.
That's far behind the UK's 32.99 jabs per 100 people and the US's 25.42, according to Our World in Data, a collaboration between Oxford University and a charity.
"The sense of urgency that exists in the West, where vaccination is no less than an expected game-changer, is not present in China," said Mathieu Duch�tel, director of the Asia Programme at Institut Montaigne, a Paris-based think tank.
- Health risks - The slower pace could pose risks for China by delaying herd immunity.
There is no globally-accepted standard for the percentage of a population that needs to be jabbed -- or to develop the necessary antibodies through infection -- for herd immunity against Covid-19 to kick in.
A November paper in medical journal Lancet estimated that percentage at 60-72 for a 100-percent effective vaccine, while Gao Fu, the head of the Chinese disease-control agency, put it at 70-80 percent for China in comments this week.
China would need to administer 10 million doses every day for seven months to reach such thresholds, Chinese infectious-disease specialist Zhang Wenhong told a recent forum. Only around 52.5 million doses had been administered as of end-February, according to Zhong.
The current pace is of "great concern", Zhang added.
Besides quickening production, China has also committed to shipping vaccines overseas as it works to blunt foreign criticism of the initial spread of the virus from its shores.
Chinese companies are set to export nearly 400 million doses, state media has reported, and the government said it is providing free vaccines to 53 countries.
China is caught between "both the vaccination requirement of achieving herd immunity ... and the demand associated with its vaccine diplomacy," said Yanzhong Huang, a global health fellow at the US Council on Foreign Relations.
Huang said delays in herd immunity could mean China falls behind in reopening its borders -- now largely closed to all but Chinese citizens -- while other economies forge ahead.
This "might make China look bad," he said.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Applications Open for 6th Cycle of Start-up Incubation under the National Expans ..
Join vivo's "Light it Up" Social Media Contest in Ramadan to Win vivo V30 5G
Pakistan v New Zealand T20I series: Tickets to go on sale from today
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 29 March 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 29 March 2024
Journalists call for global action to end Gaza’s humanitarian crisis
CM for generating opportunities to bring direct int'l investment
Pakistan retains position in FTSE secondary emerging market
High Commissioner of Malaysia hosts Iftar dinner reception
NEPRA announces 2nd quarterly adjustment in power bills with Rs 1.68 cut per uni ..
Hoopo Inc. Collaborates with SAU to Install Solar-Powered RO Plant
04 killed in Spain as Storm Nelson looms
More Stories From Miscellaneous
-
Shaheed Jalil Andrabi remembered on his martyrdom anniversary
2 days ago -
Architectural grandeur of Mohabat Khan Mosque attracts visitors, archeology lovers
2 days ago -
Besant Hall cultural centre to hold programme in memory Pir Hassam din Rashdi
4 days ago -
USA beats Mexico 2-0 for CONCACAF Nations League title
4 days ago -
World urged to intervene for peace in Kashmir
5 days ago -
Undeterred resolve – only way to end economic woes
5 days ago
-
Organic Food: A booming trend in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
5 days ago -
From Soil to Harvest: Use of modern technology vital for agricultural renaissance
5 days ago -
Spring season offers glimpse into GB's natural beauty, cultural heritage
5 days ago -
Nation to mark decades’ long journey of resilience through annals of history
7 days ago -
23rd March: A historic day reminds Muslims’ heroic struggle for Pakistan
7 days ago -
Measures urged to recharge depleting water table: Experts
7 days ago