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A health worker displays the COVID-19 vaccines developed by China's Sinovac. (Photo: Xinhua)
China is researching and developing a total of 71 vaccines against COVID-19 and they are effective against the Delta mutated virus strain, China's top epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan revealed over the weekend.
Nine of the vaccines have already been put into use. Two were granted World Health Organization's (WHO) emergency use, Zhong said as he addressed the graduation ceremony at the Shanghai Tech University on Saturday.
The WHO had greenlighted COVID-19 vaccine produced by China's Sinovac and Sinopharm for emergency use, reports said.
China's inactivated vaccines are effective in reducing the rate of infection and severe symptoms and are also effective against Delta mutated virus strain, he noted.
Experts reached by the Global Times said those vaccines still in the research process and development will satisfy the urgent domestic and overseas demand as health authorities will gradually ramp up efforts to approve more vaccines.
Zhong also shared Guangzhou's experience with handling the recent epidemic flareup that lasted for more than 20 days. If Guangzhou had failed to control the virus, one epidemic model shows that it would have resulted in more than 7.3 million people getting infected in just 20 days, he said.
Given the fast transmission speed of Delta, Guangzhou expanded the check scope of "close contacts" from previous same family, same office and same restaurant to including people who live in the same space or building.
By using mobile phone location function and public surveillance cameras, they were able to track down those close contacts with confirmed COVID-19 patients or had stayed in dangerous venues for more than one hour within a 250 meter radius. They were issued "yellow" QR health codes and asked to receive nucleic acid testing within 24 hours, according to Zhong.
Speaking of the opening of borders, Zhong said as long as the epidemic in one place is not completely under control, the world is still at stake. We need the joint effort of the whole world to fully control the pandemic.
Global Times
China develops 71 vaccines, ranking first around world - Global Times
www.globaltimes.cn
