BREAKING: COVID-19 Vaccine Offering 90% Protection

6 Minute Read

• Germany: Pfizer and BioNTech have developed an effective vaccine proven to offer 90% protection against COVID-19. There are still huge challenges ahead, though the companies plan to apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of the month.
• China: none of the 56,000 people who were inoculated with a COVID-19 vaccine and travelled abroad have contracted the coronavirus, Sinopharm's chairman said on Friday.

 Pfizer and BioNTech Develop Milestone Vaccine with 90% Protection 

The first effective coronavirus vaccine can prevent more than 90% of people from getting COVID-19, a preliminary analysis shows. The developers - Pfizer and BioNTech - described it as a "great day for science and humanity." Their vaccine has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised. The companies plan to apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of the month. There are still huge challenges ahead, but the announcement has been warmly welcomed with scientists describing themselves smiling "ear to ear" and some suggesting life could be back to normal by spring.

 New COVID-19 Cases in China 

A locally transmitted COVID-19 case has been confirmed in Shanghai by the Shanghai Health Commission, according China Daily. The 51-year-old male is a baggage handler at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, CCTV reports. He is currently in isolation at Pudong New Area People’s Hospital. An investigation to locate close contacts is currently underway. China reported 32 new imported cases on Sunday, 13 of which were in Shanghai.

The news comes on the heels of a local case in Tianjin that is suspected to have originated from a shipment of frozen pork from Germany.

 China: Overview of the Vaccine Plan 

China is now using a "running faster than the virus" approach in COVID-19 combat, thepaper.cn reported. As coronavirus cases could spike in any place in China, the country takes quick actions to get things under control as soon as possible and carry out large scale testing among close contacts or even larger groups, until every case is found.

"If you don't run faster than the virus, it will spread. Once the virus spreads, we need to ask ourselves whether we have enough medical resources to bring the potential pandemic under control," Zhang said. He believes that some countries in the world have formed their own epidemic strategy, which is based on learning to coexist with the virus, and reduce their respective fatality rates by ensuring critically ill patients receive quick and effective treatments.

Both of these approaches are suitable in their own ways to some extent, Zhang said, noting that people still need to remain vigilant no matter their countries' approach to dealing with the coronavirus. Zhang also noted that a COVID-19 vaccine is not a "master key." He estimated that not everyone will be able to receive a vaccine when a worldwide vaccine is ready. Instead, the vaccination rate in some countries may only be around 30 percent, or 40 percent, due to lack of resources and production limits. However, the fatality rate would be lowered if some countries could make sure those high risk people are vaccinated and protected, he said.

"We will begin to welcome the restart of the world when the fatality rate in society drops significantly," Zhang said.

 China: Working on a Vaccine Shipping Schedule 

China has promised to give priority access to a vaccine to a list of countries, mostly in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. 

International shipments of Chinese-produced vaccines to overseas markets are expected to begin as early as mid-December, and in order to deal with all kinds of problems in the whole transportation process, the whole implementation plan will be planned in advance. For example, the cost of transporting vaccines to Brazil on charter flights is about 7 million yuan ($1.05 million), so it is likely airlines will stop at the transfer station and replenish other sources in transit to balance economic costs. But stopping is a greater risk for the vaccine, requiring more professional equipment.

Sources: Global Times, OneTubeDaily, SolutionsConsulting & BBC News.

READ MORE

Follow HeyExpat to keep your finger on the pulse, on the latest news, trends, and happenings in the Middle Kingdom.