Introduction to China's COVID-19 Vaccines

by Grace Wang Apr 29, 2021
China now has five approved COVID-19 vaccines, with more than 243.9 million doses administered across the nation. Compared to foreign vaccines, the Chinese COVID-19 vaccines are easier to keep and transport, but with relatively low efficacy rates. Two Chinese COVID-19 vaccines are expected to access more countries once entering the global vaccine program COVAX.

According to China National Health Commission (NHC), more than 243.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across the nation by Apr. 28, 2021.1 China has started its mass vaccination program and plans to vaccinate 40% of its population by June this year.2

Currently, five approved COVID-19 vaccines are being administered in the country. They are:

Developer

Vaccine Type

Mechanism

Conditional Approval Date

Recommended Dose(s)

Sinopharm's Beijing Institute of Biological Products



Inactivated COVID-19 vaccine



The inactivated vaccines include the killed COVID-19 viral particles, which can induce immune reactions in human bodies.

 


Dec. 30, 2020


2 or 3

Sinopharm's Wuhan Institute of Biological Products


Feb. 25, 2021


2 or 3

Sinovac Biotech Co. Ltd

Feb. 5, 2021

2 or 3



CanSino Biologics Inc.


Adenovirus type-5 (Ad5)-vectored COVID-19 vaccine

The vaccines include the adenovirus vectors implanted with COVID-19 virus antibody genes. The antibody genes won't copy themselves or cause diseases but it can stimulate human bodies to produce antibodies.




Feb. 25, 2021




1

Anhui Zhifei Longcom and Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

Adjuvanted protein subunit COVID-19 vaccine

Protein subunit vaccines include purified proteins of the virus that causes COVID-19   instead of the entire germ. The proteins can stimulate immune response in human bodies.



Mar. 10, 2021



3

COVID-19 Vaccine Management in China

1. Special Approval

To prevent the COVID-19 diseases, the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) granted conditional approval for COVID-19 vaccines developed by Sinopharm, Sinovac and CanSino Biologics, and gave emergency use approval to the COVID-19 vaccine co-developed by Anhui Zhifei Longcom and the CAS. In addition, NMPA requires these companies to continue the post-marketing studies, fulfill the conditions of the commitment and submit the study results to NMPA in time.

2. Fee Management

The government has paid more than 24 billion yuan in advance to COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers through procurement agencies. The fund comes from the social health fund and the government's financial income.

Thanks to the fund, vaccines are free of charge for all Chinese citizens. If foreign residents participate in local social health insurance programs, they do not have to pay, either; if not, they should bear the cost. The fee standard may differ from place to place but generally is 100 yuan per dose in most regions, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong Province and Zhejiang Province.

3. How to Get Vaccinated

Local healthcare administrations will release the information of qualified healthcare centers and hospitals as well as available time of vaccination services on information platforms such as local health administrations' WeChat official accounts. Residents can book an appointment through Alipay, WeChat mini-programs or government mobile apps. 

The following application procedures in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province are only for reference as they may differ in other areas.


Method 1: Zheliban (浙里办) App

Method 2: Alipay (not applicable to residents from Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, and Taiwan, China, overseas Chinese, and foreigners in Hangzhou)

1. Download Zheliban APP

2. Tap the "Vaccination (预防接种)" button

3. Login in with your ID number or the number of other identity document

4. Choose "Establish a file for an adult" and fill in your information.

5. Tap "COVID-19 vaccination".

    (1) Choose an outpatient clinic first and then choose an available vaccine in the service; or

    (2) Choose a vaccine type first and then choose an outpatient clinic that has them.

6. Choose a vaccination date.

7. Confirm your appointment.

*You can change or cancel the appointment at the homepage of the app.

1. Open Alipay's homepage.

2. Search "COVID-19 vaccine" and choose "COVID-19 vaccination appointment".

3. Tap "Whom to be vaccinated", choose "Establish a file for an adult" and fill in the information.

4. Tap "Book an appointment for COVID-19 vaccination".

5. Choose an outpatient clinic.

6. Choose a vaccination date and confirm the appointment.

* You can check, change or cancel the appointment by searching "COVID-19 vaccination appointment" on Alipay.

How Are China's COVID-19 Vaccines?

1. Easy for Storage

The three inactivated COVID-19 vaccines made in China mainly consist of dead viruses. Therefore, they can be stored at normal fridge temperatures from 2 to 8°C. This temperature range are also applicable to Cansino's Ad5-vectored vaccine and the adjuvanted protein subunit developed by Anhui Zhifei Longcom and the CAS. In general, the Chinese COVID-19 vaccines are easier to keep and transport.

In contrast, those developed by Moderna and Pfizer should be kept at minus 20 °C and minus 70 °C for long-term storage, respectively. That's because the two products belong to mRNA vaccines which require to be stored in low temperature to keep the active ingredients steady.

2. Relatively Low Efficacy Rates

According to the existing data, although the efficacy rates of the Chinese COVID-19 vaccines are above the World Health Organization's 50% threshold, they still fall far short of foreign vaccines like Moderna vaccine, which was 94.1% effective with two doses.

Developer

Efficacy Rates

Data Source

Sinopharm's Beijing Institute

79.34%/two doses

Phase III clinical trials in China, UAE and Bahrain

Sinopharm's Wuhan Institute

72.5%/two doses

Phase III clinical trials in countries including UAE

CanSinoBIO

74.8%/single dose

Phase III clinical trials in Pakistan

Sinovac

50.4%/two doses

Phase III clinical trials in Brazil

65.3%/two doses

Phase III clinical trials in Indonesia

Anhui Zhifei Longcom and Institute of Microbiology, CAS

Not published yet


With more data taking into account in further studies, Chinese COVID-19 vaccines' efficacy rates could change.

3. Overseas Distribution

Chinese COVID-19 vaccines have been administered and recognized in countries including Chile and Serbia. For example, Andres Couve, Chile's Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, recently commented on Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines'protective effect as encouraging.

Moreover, the Chinese vaccines from Sinopharm and Sinovac have reached the final stage of the WHO approval process for entering the COVAX program. The program aims to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and guarantee fair and equitable access to vaccines for every country in the world. That means Chinese vaccines are expected to be distributed in more countries and regions once they get the green light.

Grace Wang
ChemLinked Regulatory Analyst & Editor
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