China plans to provide 10 million doses of Kovit-19 vaccine to Kovacs’ global vaccination program because three Chinese companies are applying to join the initiative, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
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The World Health Organization (WHO)’s Kovax program and the GAVI Alliance for Vaccine Equivalent Access will begin distributing the vaccine to low- and middle-income countries this month, providing two of the three billion doses this year.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in January that Sinovac Biotech, the Chinese National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinoform) and Consino Biologics had applied to Kovacs.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenpin announced plans to deliver the vaccine, without giving details, during a regular press conference on Wednesday.
The three Chinese companies have not yet issued any statement on the matter.
The WHO, which is examining the claims, said it could make a decision on synoform and synovac-produced vaccines in early March, according to a Reuters consultation.
Size of vaccines manufactured by Sinoform and Sinovac is already available in many countries, including Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The vaccine, manufactured by Cansino, is approved for use in the Chinese military.
None of the three companies has yet provided detailed information on the effectiveness of their vaccines, but limited access to vaccines developed by Western pharmaceutical companies has led many developing countries to enter into agreements to purchase Chinese vaccines.
