E-Paper
China gives 31.2mn Covid shots as second firm applies for license
China aims to vaccinate 50 million people before the start of the Lunar New Year in the second week of February when millions are expected to travel though the numbers are likely to be less this year than in other years.
China has administered 31.2 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to key groups of people as of February 3, Mi Feng, national health commission (NHC) spokesperson said on Thursday.
China aims to vaccinate 50mn people before the start of the Lunar New Year in the second week of February when millions are expected to travel to their home towns, though the numbers are likely to be less this year.
Meanwhile, the Beijing-based Sinovac Life Sciences Company has filed an application with Chinese authorities for conditional marketing authorisation of its Covid-19 vaccine CoronaVac, state media reported.
China has so far approved one domestically made coronavirus vaccine for commercial use. At least four more are undergoing late-stage trials, though the vaccination drive carried out since July has been sanctioned under an emergency rule.
CoronaVac has made progress in phase three clinical trials overseas, showing a good level of safety after inoculation, official news agency, Xinhua reported, quoting a company statement.
“Fourteen days after the inoculation of two doses of CoronaVac, the effectiveness of the vaccine in protecting against diseases caused by Covid-19 has met the relevant technical standards laid out by the World Health Organisation and the requirements of (China’s) National Medical Products Administration,” the statement added.
The NHC said on Thursday that the mainland reported 30 new Covid-19 cases for February 3, up by five cases from a day earlier.
The health authorities said that 17 of the new cases were locally transmitted infections while the remaining were imported cases.
Both local and national governments are advising citizens not to travel during the upcoming holidays – the most important ones in the Chinese calendar – beginning February 11.
Lockdowns, restrictions on travel and mass testing appear to have prevented the latest wave of the disease from spreading throughout China, even as the country endured its worst period of Covid-19 infections since March 2020.
The total number of confirmed mainland Covid-19 cases now stands at 89649; the death toll remained unchanged at 4636.
