China-made shots hailed as lifesavers
Rapid takeup worldwide, including via donations, attests to friendly ties
ANKARA — Vaccines developed by China are an important tool for defeating the COVID-19 pandemic, saving lives around the world as they are put to work in mass inoculation programs, foreign officials and experts said.
A batch of a vaccine donated by China arrived in Mozambique on Wednesday to help the East African country fight the coronavirus. It was also the first COVID-19 vaccine to be received by the country.
Mozambican Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario praised China’s role in fighting the pandemic and thanked the Chinese people for the friendship.
The “rapid availability of vaccines against COVID-19 reflects the commitment and determination” of both the Chinese and Mozambican governments in guaranteeing people’s well-being, he added.
The country’s vaccination plan will prioritize high-risk groups including health professionals, said the prime minister, and more details will be shared by the health ministry.
Also on Wednesday, Algeria received a donation of supplies of a vaccine from Chinese drugmaker Sinopharm.
Algerian Communication Minister Ammar Belhimer handed over a letter of gratitude from the Algerian government to the Chinese government for the donation, saying “the Chinese Sinopharm vaccines come to sustain our vaccination campaign … and protect the lives of our citizens”.
In Latin America, the Sinopharm vaccine arrived in Bolivia on Wednesday for the largest vaccination drive ever in the country.
“Bolivia now has the vaccines. We have the solution … Now we are going to vaccinate everyone,” Bolivian President Luis Arce said, adding that the nationwide vaccination campaign was due to begin on Thursday.
Mass vaccinations
Elsewhere in the region, mass vaccinations began last week in Colombia’s capital Bogota with a vaccine from Sinovac Biotech, health authorities said. The drive began with the immunization of healthcare workers.
In Turkey where a large vaccination campaign has been launched with the Sinovac vaccine, Canturk Alagoz, chief executive officer of Keymen Pharmaceuticals, said his country was grateful to the government of China for this safe product, known as CoronaVac.
The Turkish firm also conducted clinical trials of the Sinovac jab in Turkey, and said the vaccine has a very good safety profile.
“We thank the people and the administration of China. Sinovac has helped overcome a serious hurdle in mass inoculation in Turkey and other countries. It makes lives better,” said the head of the medical company, CoronaVac’s distributor in Turkey.
Turkey launched in mid-January a mass inoculation drive with the Sinovac jab, aiming to vaccinate 60 percent of its population ultimately.
Some 7.5 million people have been vaccinated so far, essentially health workers and the elderly, according to data from the health ministry. Education Minister Ziya Selcuk received his first shot on Wednesday. Teachers are next in line as Turkey plans to reopen schools as of March 1.
“This vaccine saves lives, we have seen it in the global fight against the pandemic, especially in developing countries,” he said, praising China’s practice in making a vaccine against this deadly disease and sharing it with other countries.
So far, China has provided vaccine assistance to more than 50 developing countries in need, and exported vaccines to over 20 countries. It has also decided to provide 10 million vaccine doses to multilateral vaccine alliance COVAX to meet the urgent needs of developing countries, many of which are in Africa.
Earlier, Sinovac announced that it will export semifinished jabs to some countries, and help build local filling and packaging lines in importing countries to improve production capacity and efficiency.
“China’s attitude to share it with the rest of the world is right and fair,” Alagoz said.
CARACAS — Venezuela on Wednesday expelled the European Union’s ambassador to Caracas in response to new sanctions, giving the Portuguese envoy 72 hours to leave the country and raising the bloc’s renewed ire.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza announced the move against Ambassador Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa two days after EU foreign ministers agreed to sanction 19 Venezuelan officials for “undermining democracy”.
“Today, by decision of President Nicolas Maduro, we presented to Mrs Isabel Brilhante ... her declaration as persona non grata,” Arreaza told journalists. “She has been given 72 hours to leave Venezuelan territory.”
Arreaza said the decision came after the EU on Monday issued “55 decisions, what in the European Union or in the US they call sanctions”, against Venezuela.
In Brussels, the EU demanded Venezuela reverse its decision.
“The EU profoundly regrets this decision, which will only lead to further international isolation of Venezuela. We call for this decision to be reversed,” said bloc spokeswoman Nabila Massrali.
“Venezuela will only overcome its ongoing crisis through negotiation and dialogue, to which the EU is fully committed but which this decision undermines directly.”
Maduro issued a warning in a televised address.
“We would not have wanted to do this, we’re doing it against our will, because we want to have the best relations with all of Europe,” said Maduro. “But we cannot accept that anyone attacks Venezuela, sanctions Venezuela. Either you rectify it or there will be no relationship with you, of any type.”
Venezuela’s National Assembly on Tuesday called for the government to expel the ambassador following Monday’s decision by the EU.
Expanded list
The EU expanded the list of those being sanctioned after rejecting a December legislative election that saw Maduro’s ruling party win control of parliament after an opposition boycott. The election results were not recognized by the EU, the United States or a few Latin American countries.
Until the win, the National Assembly had enjoyed an opposition majority with Juan Guaido at the helm as speaker.
Among the newly sanctioned officials by the EU are two members of the National Assembly, the governor of Zulia state, the commander of the armed forces and three members of Venezuela’s electoral council, including its president.
Arreaza on Wednesday described the European measures as “illegal”, calling on European authorities to carry out “a process of reflective analysis so they may abandon these interfering, arrogant attitudes”.
“Hopefully there will be reflection in the EU, hopefully we will be able to rebuild the bridges of understanding, of dialogue, hopefully they will learn to respect,” he said after giving the ambassador her marching orders.
The bloc began imposing sanctions on Venezuela in 2017 and has also imposed an embargo on arms.