Making vaccines available and affordable to people in developing countries and providing assistance to countries and regions with weak capacity to deal with the epidemic is the fairness and justice that should be upheld.
Combating the new pneumonia epidemic is the most urgent task facing the international community today. The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Mr. Tan Desai, recently warned of the serious implications of the inequitable distribution of the NCCP vaccine worldwide, expecting countries to act to achieve the vaccination of priority populations in all countries within the first 100 days of the year, and attaching great importance to the difficulties faced in the operation of the NCCP vaccine implementation plan. In particular, there is a huge gap in the supply of vaccines in February and March.
It is a critical moment to take responsibility. At the request of the World Health Organization (WHO), China announced recently that it would provide 10 million doses of vaccine to the NCCP, mainly for the urgent needs of developing countries. This is another important step for China to promote the fair distribution of vaccines, advance international cooperation against epidemics and practice the concept of human health community.
China announced in May last year that the Chinese New Crown vaccine, once developed and put into use, will serve as a global public good and make a Chinese contribution to the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries. The first batch of Chinese government foreign aid for New Crown vaccine has recently been transferred to Pakistan, and vaccine aid is being provided to 13 developing countries including Brunei, Nepal, Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Palestine, Belarus, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea, and the next step will be to 38 other developing countries in need of vaccine aid. This is the “practice what you preach” that the world desperately needs now. Tom Fowdy, a British political and international relations analyst, commented, “The Chinese vaccine is the product that most of the world will accept.” A recent commentary in the New York Times noted that the Chinese vaccine is expected to be “a lifeline for developing countries.
The Chinese vaccine is internationally recognized for its safety and efficacy. Clinical trial evaluations from multiple countries and research reports published in the internationally renowned medical journal The Lancet have all given a vote of confidence in the Chinese vaccine. According to incomplete statistics, more than 40 countries have so far put forward their demand for importing Chinese vaccines, and some other countries have approved the use of Chinese vaccines. Indonesian President Joko, Turkish President Erdogan and Seychelles President Ramkarawan took the lead in receiving the Chinese vaccine, Serbian President Vucic braved the cold to wait and greet the first batch of Chinese vaccine on the tarmac, and Chilean President Piñera attended the ceremony held after the arrival of the Chinese vaccine. “The Chinese vaccine is a light in the depths of the tunnel”, “safe, reliable and trustworthy”, “arrived at the most difficult and most needed moment for us”… …These comments from the international community reflect gratitude and show confidence.
The epidemic continues to test the conscience and examine the concept of righteousness and profit. It is worth emphasizing that wealth and poverty should never be the basis for choosing the right to life and health. Making vaccines available and affordable to people in developing countries, and providing what help we can to countries and regions with weak capacity to deal with the epidemic, is the justice that should be upheld. Viruses know no borders, and human beings must rely on the power of science and reason, promote the humanitarian spirit, and raise solidarity and cooperation as the most powerful weapon to overcome epidemics.
