The vaccine against COVID-19 is finally available and vaccination started in many countries. Still, not too many have access to clear information about what is going on in China.
Let’s clear how vaccination in China will work.
The two vaccines: Sinopharm and Sinovac
There are two vaccines mainly available in China. They are also being exported to many countries of the Global South. Sinopharm is a state-owned company, while Sinovac is not.
They are both based in Beijing. Vaccine immunization will last 6 months or more in both cases.
Sinopharm expects to reach a production of more than a billion doses before the end of 2021.
Each person needs two shots of the vaccine. At least 14 days should pass between the shots.
The vaccines can resist for a long time even at high temperatures. They require temperatures between 2 C° and 8 C° for storing. Still, they can last for more than 20 days even at 37 C°. This is a key factor considering Sinopharm exports the vaccine to many countries. China itself has a very complex territory. Furthermore, some regions of China are fairly underdeveloped. The equipment for extremely low temperature conservation of the vaccine may not be always available.
Who gets the vaccine first?
The categories that are going to get the vaccine first are the one at higher risk of getting the virus. First of all, the vaccine is currently available only for people between 18 and 59 years old. More than 3 million vaccines have been injected by the end of 2020.
Priority for vaccination goes to the following categories:
– people who need to travel abroad for work or study
– workers involved in logistics;
– transportation workers;
– healthcare and sanitation personnel;
– basic services personnel (e.g. water, electricity, gas and so on)
– police, community workers and firefighters;
– all the personnel involved in quarantine procedures;
– all the personnel involved in customs and working at the borders of the country
Only after it will be time for everybody else not belonging to these categories.
We also put an infographic (courtesy of globaltimes.cn) for simplicity.
