Wenyi Zhang
Research expert covering Greater China
Chinese COVID-19 vaccines - statistics & facts
The COVID-19 pandemic poses a critical challenge to people’s well-being worldwide. As a powerful weapon to reduce the spread of the virus and save lives, vaccination is often seen as a vital solution to mitigate the burdens posed by COVID-19 and potentially end the pandemic for good. As the first country impacted by the pandemic, China was one of the pioneers in the virological research on SARS-CoV-2. Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises were also among the first companies that successfully developed effective vaccines against the disease. Thanks to the country’s substantial production capacity, Chinese COVID-19 vaccines successfully fulfilled the needs of the domestic market, contributing to the country’s massive vaccination campaign. They were also widely adopted globally, notably in lower and middle-income countries. The strong global demands greatly improved the performance of China’s major vaccine manufacturers, with Sinovac reporting an increase of over 22,000 percent in its annual net income between 2019 and 2021.
Nevertheless, in comparison to mRNA vaccines, Chinese inactivated COVID-19 vaccines do have a significantly lower efficacy rate. They are also less effective against the latest SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, undermining China’s efforts to contain the virus. Several pharmaceutical firms in China are also developing mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, with a number of candidates already in the clinical trial phase.
Although enjoying great public support within China, in comparison to vaccines produced in the United States and Europe, Chinese vaccines were less trusted overseas. The export of Chinese vaccines lost momentum after the supply of mRNA vaccines was bolstered, with export figures declining sharply in 2022.
Conventional technology
Unlike mRNA vaccines such as Comirnaty and Spikevax, both Sinovac and Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccines are inactivated whole virus vaccines, which stimulate immune responses with killed SARS-CoV-2 virus. As a well-established technology developed more than a century ago, inactivated COVID-19 vaccines are simple to manufacture, stable, and suitable for people with compromised immune systems. Such advantages made China one of the first countries to start its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, and one of the countries with the highest vaccination rate.Nevertheless, in comparison to mRNA vaccines, Chinese inactivated COVID-19 vaccines do have a significantly lower efficacy rate. They are also less effective against the latest SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, undermining China’s efforts to contain the virus. Several pharmaceutical firms in China are also developing mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, with a number of candidates already in the clinical trial phase.
Strong performance in the international market
Despite having lower efficacy rates, Chinese COVID-19 vaccines performed strongly in the international market. During the first half of 2021, with the global shortfall of COVID-19 vaccine production capacity, most mRNA vaccines were stockpiled by high-income economies. Deliveries from China were therefore crucial for the vaccination campaigns of many regions. Vaccines developed by Sinovac, Sinopharm, and CanSino were used as practical alternatives to mRNA vaccines of BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna in many Asian, African, and Latin American countries. Fill-and-finish facilities were also constructed in countries where Chinese vaccines were in great demand.Although enjoying great public support within China, in comparison to vaccines produced in the United States and Europe, Chinese vaccines were less trusted overseas. The export of Chinese vaccines lost momentum after the supply of mRNA vaccines was bolstered, with export figures declining sharply in 2022.
