The Locals and Foreign Students Are Getting Covid-19 Vaccine (Sinopharm or Sinovac) Shots in China

Ongoing COVID-19 vaccination for local and international (foreign) students in China (为在中国的本地和国际（外国）学生持续接种 COVID-19)

China has begun a COVID-19 vaccination campaign nationwide for boosting the immunity of its people. Foreign workers and international students in China can have their vaccine shots along with the locals. The vaccine centers are now in a festive environment because of the gathering of people. All the ins and outs (detailed information) about the campaign are put together below.

China announced to run COVID-19 vaccination campaign on 15 December 2020. Since the start of the vaccination program by the end of November 2020, the country has deployed 15 million shots to the people. The vaccine shots are being administered in two steps at a 14-day interval after giving the first one. The country is now providing vaccines to the locals and foreigners who have passports in China prioritizing 7 groups of professionals. People between 18 and 59 years of age are currently eligible for the vaccine shots. Also, the country has recently approved a vaccine for children above 3 years old on June 6, 2021. The vaccines are now available at hospitals, clinics, and temporary vaccination centers all across the country. Now, China is moving forward to ensure vaccines for all. For this, the local government and the state government are inspiring people to be vaccinated. As a result, foreign workers and students are festively getting their shots.

International and domestic students are getting vaccinated in China. They are going to the vaccine centers in groups, so a festive atmosphere is prevailing at the centers because of their presence. Mohammad Omar, A Bangladeshi student who got admitted to Hebei Vocational University of Industry and Technology by DigiEduPro, had his first vaccine shot Wednesday along with some local mates at the university vaccine center. “I got my first vaccine shot for free. The health workers at the center were very helpful and cooperative. I was treated as like as a local student.”, Omar said. 

People have to complete documentation before getting their shots. Sometimes, they have to wait for their turns. After the documentation, they get vaccinated. The health workers maintain good hygiene to administer the vaccines. They wear masks, PPEs, and gloves properly. They also apply disinfectants and injecting the vaccines maintaining a safe distance. 

The students who went to the university vaccine center celebrated the event after having their shots. International students are thankful to the Chinese government to give them the opportunity for the vaccination against Covid-19.

Covid vaccine guideline for foreign students and workers in China (在华外国学生和工人的 Covid 疫苗指南)

Any foreigners in China who are 18 years old or above are eligible for the vaccine. They must have passports to apply for Covid vaccine in China. Foreign workers can apply for it through their employers, and international students can apply through their respective universities. There are other methods also available for the application. Foreign residences in China who have Social Medical Insurance Coverage can get the vaccine shots free of costs, on the other hand, those who do not have the coverage have to pay around 100 CYN per dose of the vaccine. Currently, the vaccines are available for foreigners in In Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong Provinces.

Documents needed for international students to get the Covid vaccine (国际学生在中国接种新冠疫苗需要哪些文件?)

Any foreigners in China with passports can apply for getting Covid vaccines. Foreign workers and students can have their shots by applying for it. International students can apply through their respective universities and foreign workers can apply through employers. China proves its responsibility and hospitality towards the foreigners by allowing them to get the vaccine shots. So, the foreigners in China are thankful to the Chinese government.

Vaccines being administered in China (中国正在接种哪些疫苗?)

“Sinopharm (Beijing)” produced by Sinopharm’s Beijing Institute of Biological Products and “CoronaVac” developed by Sinovac Biotech are being used for the vaccination campaign in China, currently. Both the vaccines are among the 6 homegrown vaccines by Chinese companies and have World Health Organization (WHO) approval for emergency use. The efficacy rate of the Sinopharm is higher than Sinovac.

Doses needed to complete Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccination (完成国药和科兴疫苗接种需要多少剂?)

Every person needs to get vaccinated with 2 doses if any of the two (Sinopharm or CoronaVac) are taken. The dose quantity varies depending on different brands that have different modes of action and structures, such as Convidecia requires 1 dose and Anhui Zhifei requires 2-3 doses to complete the vaccination course. 

Getting the second Covid vaccine early (你能早点接种第二种 Covid 疫苗吗?)

A person needs to get the second shot, 14-days after taking the first one for Sinopharm and CoronaVac vaccines. After getting vaccinated, the professionals in their workplaces wear badges to mark them vaccinated. The Chinese government is providing the vaccines to the people free of charge rather the government is trying to encourage people to administer the vaccine.

Efficacy rates of Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines (科兴疫苗的有效率是多少？国药疫苗的有效率是多少?)

CornaVac produced by  Beijing-based leading private pharmaceuticals company Sinovac Biotech showed 51% of efficacy against COVID-19 whereas Sinopharm (Beijing) developed by a state-owned pharmaceuticals firm in Beijing, Sinopharm, demonstrated an efficacy rate of 79% against the deadly coronavirus. Both the vaccines are approved by World Health Organization (WHO) for emergency use.

WHO approval of Sinovac vaccine

Is Sinovac vaccine approved by WHO? (国药控股疫苗是否获得世卫组织批准?)

Sinovac (CoronaVac) vaccine is approved by World Health Organization (WHO). WHO approved the Sinovac vaccine for emergency use on June 1, 2021. WHO also enlisted the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, Sinopharm in the Emergency Use List (ELI) earlier on 7 May 2021. The organization listed the vaccine in the Emergency Use List (ELI) which is the prerequisite for COVAX Facility vaccine supply and international procurement. Who also allows the countries to apply their own regulatory policies for vaccine usage.

Side effects of Covid vaccines (Covid疫苗有副作用吗?)

Common side effects of Covid vaccines are headache, fatigue, fever, diarrhea, swelling, redness, or a lump on the injection area. Most of these adverse effects disappear in a few days. There are also some rare acute and severe adverse reactions, like fainting and these normally occur within 30 minutes of injection. These reactions are very rare and no eligible persons should avoid getting vaccine shots.

Sinovac safety and efficacy for the elderly (科兴对老年人安全有效吗?)

Yes, China’s Sinovac vaccine is safe and effective. It has been gone through several clinical trials that brought out individual outcomes. Meanwhile, the vaccine has been proven safe and effective after trials in phase III which was conducted in several countries. Recently, Indonesian President Joko Widodo got his first shot of Sinovac’s vaccine (CoronaVac). It has been proved 100 percent efficient in preventing severe and moderate coronavirus infections, 78 percent efficient in preventing mild cases, and, finally, it showed an overall efficacy rate of 50.4 percent in the final-stage trial of Brazil. Brazil’s trial for the CoronaVac vaccine has reported rare adverse reactions and severe events associated with the vaccine and that outcomes have proved its safety. Hence, Sinovac’s vaccine (CoronaVac) is safe and effective for the elderly (people above 60 years) too.

Sinopharm safety and efficacy for the elderly (国药对老人安全有效吗?)

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that a phase III trial of the Sinopharm vaccine in several countries showed an efficacy rate of 79 percent against hospitalization caused by COVID-19 disease. The organization recommended the use of the vaccine for the age groups between 18 and 60. WHO  also reported that safety data for persons above 60 years of age are limited. It suggests the countries should maintain active safety monitoring for the use of the vaccine for people older than 60 years. But, the matter of hope that, WHO enlisted the vaccine in ELI for emergency use. China has already started to vaccinate elderly people and noticed rare adverse effects.

Core criteria of COVID-19 vaccine efficacy (COVID-19疫苗效力的核心标准是什么?)

The core evaluation criteria of a vaccine are not only the efficacy rate but also the infection, the safety, and the accessibility rates for which Chinese vaccines, Sinovac and Sinopharm, are showing extraordinary results. All that makes a vaccine efficient for public and emergency use. 

WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines (什么是世卫组织批准的 COVID-19 疫苗?)

WHO’s Emergency Use List (ELI) enlisted vaccines:

• Sinovac vaccine

• Sinopharm vaccine

• Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine

• Moderna vaccine

• Janssen vaccine (Johnson & Johnson Vacine)

• Astra Zeneca EU vaccine

• AstraZeneca-SK Bio vaccine

• Serum Institute of India vaccines

The vaccines have individual efficacy rates. The vaccines are being administered in the manufacturing countries and exported to the countries that do not have vaccines of their own. Both the manufacturing and importing countries follow WHO guidelines for the emergency use of these vaccines.

Sinovac (CoronaVac) Vs Sinopharm vaccine (Sinovac/CoronaVac Vs 国药疫苗)

Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines are not the same. They are two separate Covid vaccines, but both are originated in China. Sinovac vaccine (CoronaVac) is developed by Sinovac Biotech, a leading private pharmaceuticals company in China. Whereas, Sinopharm vaccine is manufactured by the state-owned pharmaceuticals company in China, Sinopharm’s Beijing Institute of Biological Products. Both the vaccines are WHO approved and being administered to the people of China, but the efficacy rates of the two are not the same. Sinopharm’s efficacy rate (79%) is much higher than that of (51%) Sinovac’s vaccine (CoronaVac).  The following table showcases the differences and comparisons between the two vaccines.

Data	Sinopharm Vaccine	Sinovac Vaccine
Developed by	Sinopharm’s Beijing Institute of Biological Products	Sinovac Biotech
Country of Origin	China	China
WHO Approval Date	1 June 2021	7 May 2021
Overall Efficacy	79%	51%
Dosages	2	2
Dosage Interval	14 days	14 days
Age Limit	Above 18	Above 18
Permitted for Persons above 60	Yes	Yes
Cost for the Locals	00 CYN	00 CYN
Cost for Foreigners with Social Medical Insurance	00 CYN	00 CYN
Cost for Foreigners without Social Medical Insurance	100 CYN/dose	100 CYN/Dose
Documents Needed for Foreigners	Passport	Passport
Availability for Foreigners	In Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong Provinces	In Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong Provinces
Application Methods	Through Online/ Company/University/Other Methods	Through Online/ Company/University/Other Methods

Duration of Covid vaccine immunity

How long will Covid vaccine immunity last for? (Covid疫苗免疫能持续多久?)

It is still not clear that how long the immunity boosted by the COVID vaccination lasts for. However, it is obvious that the 1st dose of the 2-dose vaccines boosts the immunity for 14 days and the immunity gets even stronger after the 2nd shot again for a shorter period of time. The recent clinical trials show that the immunity boosted by the vaccination can last for at least 6 months. Experiments are still ongoing on the issue. More data are yet to be discovered on the vaccination.

Getting Covid even after the vaccination (如果你有疫苗，你还能感染 Covid?)

Covid vaccines are not 100% effective against the disease. Every single vaccine has an individual efficacy rate. 90% efficacy rate means that 10 million vaccinated people get infected out of 100 million after the vaccination. So, there is a chance, a person gets infected even though getting full vaccine shots. As there is a possibility of getting infected after the vaccination, there is also a possibility of transmitting the virus to others. Above all, Isn’t it a good idea to be on the 90% safer side?

Following the precautions even after the vaccination (为什么接种疫苗后仍需遵守预防措施?)

As there is a record that 10-20% of vaccinated people get infected by the virus and transmit it to others, precautionary health guidelines are suggested to be followed. Another reason, there is a shortage of Covid vaccines that many countries are not getting access to it. So, we must maintain proper masking, physical distancing, hand washing, and avoid gathering in big groups.

What is the Chinese vaccine efficacy rate (中国疫苗有效率是多少)?

Ans: The answer is given in the text above. Click here to go to the answer section.

Is Sinovac approved by WHO (赛诺兴是否获得世卫组织批准)?

Ans: Yes, Sinovac vaccine is approved by WHO. Click here to know more.

Is Sinovac side effects free (Sinovac 副作用是否免费)?

Ans: Recent clinical trials revealed that the adverse effect of the Sinovac vaccine is very rare. Click here to know the clinical data.

Is Sinopharm vaccine side effects free? (国药疫苗无副作用吗?)

Ans: Recent clinical trials showed that the adverse effect of the Sinopharm vaccine is very rare. Click here to know what exactly happens.

What are the Chinese covid vaccine names? (中国的新型冠状病毒疫苗名称是什么?)

Ans: Currently, Sinovac vaccine and Sinopharm vaccine are the mainstream Chinese vaccines that have WHO approval for emergency use.

Can you spread covid after vaccination? (接种疫苗后会传播新冠病毒吗?)

Ans: Yes, there is a little chance of transmitting Covid even after you get fully vaccinated. Click here to read the section for further information.

Are vaccines effective against Covid? (疫苗对新冠病毒有效吗?)

Ans: Yes, vaccines are effective against Covid-19 disease, but the efficacy rates of all the vaccines are not the same. Every vaccine has an individual success rate. Check out the efficacy rates of Chinese vaccines here.

Do I need precautions after Covid vaccination? (Covid疫苗接种后我需要预防措施吗?)

Ans: Yes, you need precautions even if you get Covid vaccination. Click here to read recommended precautionary measures.

 

Check out “How China Recovered form Covid-19.”