Coronavirus: Thread

[grarpamp]

Death Jabs for Billions

Health Experts Urge Beijing To Accelerate Approval Of Enhanced Covid
Jabs Amid 'Winter Wave' Of Deaths

China's government dramatically pivoted from its ultra-harsh 'zero
Covid' policy in the last several weeks, which will likely cause a
massive outbreak, as health experts urged Beijing to speed up the
approval process of new vaccines to counter Covid-19 variants.

Sinovac and Sinopharm Covid jabs have been widely distributed among
the majority of the Chinese population to fight the original Covid
strain from Wuhan in 2020. But old vaccines might not be enough to
fight variants.

    "We can't rely on old vaccines which are currently being used
nationwide going forward," a Beijing-based adviser to the Chinese
Center for Disease Control and Prevention told Financial Times.

The health advisor, who spoke under cover of anonymity, said CDC
facilities "are filled with Wuhan virus-based vaccines that aren't of
much use."

Beijing has yet to approve the latest version of the jabs to target
more infectious Covid variants, leaving the older generation
vulnerable this cold season.

According to a new projection by Feng Zijian, a former deputy chief at
the CDC, relaxed health restrictions could result in 80 to 90% of the
Chinese population being injected with the virus.

    "It's going to be inevitable for most of us to get infected once,
regardless of how the Covid-fighting measures are adjusted," Feng
said.

While China faces a 'winter wave' of deaths as the economy reopens,
Beijing has yet to import foreign-made messenger RNA vaccines.

The CDC adviser said that China needed "locally made mRNA vaccines in
our toolbox," which might not arrive until "next April." There are
seven domestic companies in the late stage of clinical trials. The
advisor added clinical trial results for the improved Sinovac and
Sinopharm jabs will be announced in March, then "the government may
issue an emergency use license."

Jin Dong-yan, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong, said the
coming "tsunami" of infections means "China should have an accelerated
mechanism for approval to change vaccines based on the circulating
strains. There is no need for a full clinical trial."

Infections across the country are already moving higher.

    Covid is rapidly spreading through Chinese households and offices
after the country's pandemic rules were unexpectedly unwound last
week, sparking confusion on the ground as ill-prepared hospitals
struggle to deal with a surge in cases. -Bloomberg

Dong-yan warned that by the time new jabs are approved, Covid variants
would be the dominant strain:

    "The regulatory body needs to show some flexibility. Ba. 5 is
already giving way to BQ. 1.1 in the US and XBB in Singapore. He
added: "They will never catch up."

So the question we have: Why did Beijing ease zero Covid policies when
no preparations have been made to meet the coming winter 'tsunami' of
infections?