China plans to produce at least 1.6 billion doses of Covid vaccines by the end of 2021, and they are committed to supplying the COVAX operation for distribution of vaccines to poor nations left behind by the commercial market. National Biotec Group thinks it can produce one billion doses; Sinovac Biotech, upwards of 600 million; and CanSino Biologics, around 200-300 million. China has five vaccines in Phase III clinical trials, and three of those are being used presently under emergency use authorizations. The vaccine produced by Sinopharm, which has already inoculated one million Chinese in “key priority groups,” received authorization on December 30 for general use. It has shown a 79% efficacy level in Phase III clinical trials. Three million doses just arrived in Turkey, where their previous trial reached a 91% efficacy level.
How much China will be able to contribute to the poor nations depends in part on how many doses China needs at home. Since they have so far controlled local outbreaks and don’t have an epidemic, they have been able to use their doses in a targeted fashion.
China’s first one million vaccinations were designated for “key priority groups”: doctors, hotel employees, border inspection personnel, food storage and transportation workers, and Chinese travelers abroad. This primarily dealt with controlling their exposure to other countries.
