China is in the midst of its first major COVID surge, and it’s one of the world’s largest.
China rolled back COVID restrictions in early December, and now scientists estimate that the country could be facing more than 10 million new cases each day. Over the next several months, several hundred thousand people could die, perhaps more, several teams predict.
The actual death toll – and the total impact of this surge – depends largely on one key factor: How well China’s vaccines work.
The two main shots deployed in the country are CoronaVac and Sinopharm, both developed and manufactured in China.
About 90% of the population has received at least two doses of one of these vaccines.
Rumors and misinformation run rampant about COVID vaccines no matter where they’re manufactured. But, as NPR has reported, such myths and misconceptions are especially problematic for vaccines made in China.
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[Epidemiologist Ben] Cowling and his team analyzed data from about 20,000 COVID cases, ranging from mild to fatal. They found that two doses of either vaccine offered a high level of protection against severe disease for adults under age 60. Specifically, two doses of the Pfizer vaccine offered 95 to 97% protection, while two doses of CoronaVac offered between 89 and 94% efficacy, the team reported in the Lancet Infectious Disease this past October.
