China will deliver 10 million coronavirus vaccines to developing countries through an initiative led by the World Health Organization, called COVAX, according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Spokesman Wang Wenbin said during a briefing on Wednesday that China was responding to a WHO request to help deliver vaccines to lower-income countries.
He did not specify which Chinese vaccine goes to COVAX. The director of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, insisted through the pandemic on the importance of COVAX for a fair distribution of vaccines worldwide. Experts believe widespread vaccination will help prevent emerging mutations in coronavirus strains and eventually conquer the pandemic.
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China has already shipped a large number of doses of its own vaccines, mainly to developing countries. It has pursued transactions or donations with more than 30 countries exceeding the 10 million doses it offers to COVAX. Only in Turkey did the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech Ltd. entered into an agreement to sell 50 million doses.
Its global efforts are seen by many as an attempt to boost China’s reputation, as it seeks to restore its image after the first coronavirus cases were detected in late 2019 in central Wuhan city. Earlier in the pandemic, China donated face masks and protective equipment to countries around the world as part of diplomatic pressure.
Wenbin said the WHO was investigating emergency permits for Chinese vaccines, although the products had been criticized for not having late-stage trials.
A vaccine developed by Sinopharm has been approved for use in China, and according to the company, the vaccine is 79.3% effective. Sinovac’s shot in particular has raised concerns after initially announcing a 78% efficacy rate against protection against symptomatic diseases, but after mild cases have been counted, the effectiveness is just over 50%, based on the trial in Brazil .
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The WHO plans to distribute 2 billion safe and effective vaccines through COVAX to developing countries by 2021. AstraZeneca has already agreed to deliver 170 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, Pfizer has signed to deliver 40 million doses, and Johnson & Johnson has signed a memorandum of understanding for 500 million doses of the one-shot vaccine . The agreements follow other transactions, such as 200 million doses from the Serum Institute of India and 200 million doses from the Sanofi / GSK vaccine candidate, according to the WHO.
Shipments are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2021.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.