BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th July, 2021) Beijing is urging developed countries to help the rest of the world gain equal access to COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.
On Monday, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) said that it had signed agreements with the Chinese pharmaceutical companies Sinopharm and Sinovac to purchase 110 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX global initiative.
"China has been actively implementing President Xi Jinping's pledge of making vaccines a global public good and upholding the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind to provide vaccines abroad in an open and inclusive manner," Zhao told reporters on Monday.
The diplomat added that to date, China had provided more than 500 million doses of vaccines to more than 100 countries and international organizations in Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America.
"China stands ready to work together in solidarity with all countries to contribute to an early full victory over the virus," Zhao noted.
The World Health Organization authorized the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in May and CoronaVac, produced by Sinovac, in June.
The COVAX Facility is a global initiative, administered by GAVI and responsible for the development, production and distribution of COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines worldwide. Its portfolio currently consists of 11 vaccines and vaccine candidates, including AstraZeneca/Oxford, Novavax and Pfizer-BioNTech.
