Safety and effectiveness of China’s Covid-19 vaccines ‘widely recognised’

Chinese aid agency hits back at criticism of the vaccines which have been provided to 106 countries

Sinovac and Sinopharm jabs have made ‘positive contribution’ to building a protective barrier against the pandemic

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United Arab Emirates is one of the countries which has relied heavily on Covid-19 vaccines from China. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 7:11pm, 26 Oct 2021Updated: 10:58pm, 26 Oct 2021

China has defended the effectiveness of its Covid-19 vaccines, distributed mostly in less wealthy countries, saying they have made a positive contribution to building a protective barrier against the pandemic.

Zhou Liujun, deputy director of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, said 1.5 billion doses of Chinese vaccines had been provided to 106 countries and four international organisations, including more than 80 million doses to neighbouring countries. Their safety and effectiveness had been recognised, he said.

“Now there is a voice in the international arena that questions the safety and effectiveness of the Chinese vaccines. It can be said that not only do many heads of state attach great importance to Chinese vaccines and welcome them, but in practice the safety and effectiveness of the Chinese vaccines have been widely recognised,” he told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday morning.

One vaccine by Sinopharm and another by Beijing’s Sinovac were approved by the World Health Organization for emergency use in May and June, “which is an endorsement given by an international, authoritative organisation from a professional point of view,” Zhou said.

“There is international confidence in the Chinese vaccines. Scientific research and clinical data from various countries also provide strong support.”

The two vaccines, which both use traditional technology to chemically kill the whole virus, were approved by the WHO for emergency use after preliminary human trials found the Sinovac jab was 51 per cent and Sinopharm 79 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic Covid-19 disease.

The two vaccines have accounted for almost half the vaccines distributed globally but their effectiveness has come under scrutiny in the face of the more transmissible Delta variant. Some countries – including Seychelles, United Arab Emirates and Indonesia – which relied heavily on the Chinese jabs suffered further waves of infection.