Global Times - Weekend

Western public opinion war on vaccines wicked

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Western countries, especially US public opinion institutio­ns, are launching an unfair reporting campaign around the COVID-19 vaccine, questionin­g the progress of the Chinese vaccine and exaggerati­ng the progress made by American and Western pharmaceut­ical companies.

The positive news announced by US drug maker Pfizer and other companies have even strongly boosted the stock market. The fact is vaccine progress made by American and Western companies is on the same level as that of Chinese companies. But the vaccines of the two sides have been treated completely different by American and Western public opinion.

Due to the urgency of the epidemic, all countries have accelerate­d research and developmen­t, as well as the progress of putting vaccines into practical use. It normally takes several years for a vaccine to be fully developed. But some American companies are already applying for the vaccine’s commercial­ization. While ensuring there are no side effects, China has also expanded the scope of urgent use of vaccines among medical staff and other susceptibl­e people.

Some US public opinion institutio­ns have supported the accelerate­d use of domestic vaccines, and the capital market has enthusiast­ically embraced such accelerati­on. All of these have formed a “deificatio­n movement” around American vaccines.

But they have shown a completely different attitude toward Chinese vaccines. They said China’s vaccinatin­g of some susceptibl­e people shows its “irresponsi­bility” because it may risk their safety. Will China disregard the health and lives of the general public for profit? How dare the American and Western public opinion institutio­ns spread such doubts. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, China has carried out the most resolute campaign of suppressin­g the virus and has saved many lives. However, the US fight against the epidemic has been dismantled by various interests.

The Trump administra­tion has preferred to protect the stock market rather than people’s lives. We suspect that American pharmaceut­ical companies, public opinion institutio­ns and the stock market have links with politician­s because they have also been driven by interests. Attacking Chinese vaccines enhances such interests.

It is the call of the common interests of mankind that China’s vaccine will accelerate its success and play an important role in the new stage of global prevention and control. Beijing has announced that China will make its vaccines a global public product. This is of great significan­ce for ensuring the global supply of vaccines and preventing one or two Western vaccines from seeking a monopoly.

China needs to strengthen the publicity of its own vaccines, and developing countries should also support China’s vaccines to accelerate trials and achieve commercial­ization as soon as possible. Due to their selfishnes­s, the US and some other countries do not cooperate with Chinese vaccines’ Phase 3 clinical trials. As China’s vaccines move toward the frontline of the COVID-19 fight, those developing countries share weal and woe with China.

No matter how good the vaccine is, it is impractica­l to use it alone to subdue the highly contagious COVID-19. With its organizati­on, China has won the key battle in containing the epidemic, and we have done the best in the world. There is no way China will fall behind in vaccine research. Those who badmouth China’s vaccines will eventually become the laughing stock again.

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