China vaccines backed abroad

More than 100 countries have approved China-developed COVID-19 vaccines, and leaders in 30 of them have received the jabs, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Thursday.

Zhao said China would continue to provide safe and effective vaccines to the world, especially developing countries.

At a regular news briefing in Beijing, Zhao said senior officials in many countries have spoken highly of the contributions the Chinese vaccines are making to their efforts against the pandemic, adding that citizens in these countries have "voted for" the vaccines by getting vaccinated.

On Monday, it was revealed that a study in Sri Lanka found that China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine is highly efficient against the Delta variant, which has become the dominant variant across the world.

According to the study, conducted by the Sri Jayewardenepura University in Colombo, 95 percent of those receiving two doses of the vaccine developed antibodies in levels similar to those present in someone who contracted COVID-19 naturally.

"The growing rational voice that speaks out for the safety of Chinese vaccines fully shows that our vaccines are effective and safe,"Zhao said.

The spokesman said that China will continue to facilitate the fair distribution and use of vaccines across the world, promote global anti-pandemic cooperation and make contributions for an early victory against the virus.

So far, China has provided more than 500 million doses and concentrates of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 100 countries and international organizations, about one-sixth of the total global output.