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Lovemore Hungwe

Correspondent

When Zimbabweans are still discussing the safety and security of the Covid-19 vaccine and rumours are circulating on social media, Egypt already started on Sunday vaccinating medical staff with Chinese Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine at a hospital in the north-eastern province of Ismailia, according to a vaccination programme by the Egyptian Health Ministry.

The ministry explained that clinical trials have proved Sinopharm vaccine is safe and highly effective in Covid-19 prevention, especially “in prevention of Covid-19 infection with severe symptoms.”

It added that Sinopharm vaccine had been registered at the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) and other vaccines from China, Britain and Russia will be registered within days.

Vaccine is the silver bullet for epidemic prevention and control and for the ultimate victory against the virus.

The international community is now focusing on such cooperation.

President Xi Jinping’s pledge at the 73rd WHA, that China’s vaccines, once developed and deployed, will be made a global public good and help to realise the accessibility and affordability of Covid-19 vaccines in developing countries, has been well received worldwide.

The idea of making Covid-19 vaccines a global public good, recognised and supported by increasing number of countries, has been incorporated in the outcome documents of many important international organisations.

China is among the front-runners in vaccine R&D, with one Chinese vaccine given conditional approval for general public use and several others currently undergoing clinical trials of various stages.

They are important pillars buttressing China’s fight against the pandemic and participation in international vaccine cooperation.

Right now, with 1,4 billion people in China, public vaccination is underway with priority groups being the first to receive the shots.

While striving to meet the huge domestic demand, China has been trying its best to advance vaccine cooperation with other countries through various means, especially with developing countries, to offer them much-needed support and help, in concrete steps to implement President Xi’s commitment.

Chinese companies are conducting joint vaccine R&D with partners in a dozen countries, including clinical trials and co-production.

As a result of such cooperation, Chinese companies have offered vaccines to partner countries.

Mutually beneficial cooperation of this kind has not only promoted vaccine R&D on the Chinese side, but also contributed to making the vaccines more affordable and accessible in developing countries.

For countries that are in urgent need of vaccines, have certified Chinese vaccines, or authorised their emergency use, Chinese companies have started to export vaccines or to discuss relevant cooperation with them, most of which being developing countries.

The UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, Brazil, among others, have authorised the use of Chinese Covid-19 vaccines.

Many leaders have set an example for their people by receiving Chinese vaccines, including, as you may have noted from media reports, Turkish President Erdogan and Vice President Oktay, Seychelles President Ramkalawan, Jordanian Prime Minister Khasawneh, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Bahrain Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman.

Serbian President Vucic went to the airport for the arrival of Chinese vaccines and expressed his readiness to get vaccinated.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Facebook that he would be the first in the country to receive a shot of the China-made vaccine, while Peruvian President Sagasti said he would like to be inoculated with the Chinese vaccine.

No vaccine is 100 percent safe, but under the current circumstances, the pandemic is getting worse and we have to be brave to take the risk.

Only in this way can the majority of people be saved from the coronavirus.

Zimbabwe could join the above countries and try to get the vaccine from the international community.

The quick registration of vaccine will be the first step before Zimbabwe receives the vaccine and starts the roll-out.