Interview: China's vaccination drive inspires world to combat COVID-19, says Kenyan scholar

NAIROBI, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The significant milestone China has attained in inoculating its citizens against COVID-19 has invigorated the efforts to contain the pandemic globally, a Kenyan scholar has said.

As of Sunday, more than 1.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in China, as the country continues to ramp up its inoculation drive. Such an achievement is an inspiration to other countries in the battle against new waves of infections, Cavince Adhere, a Nairobi-based international relations scholar, has told Xinhua.

"Beijing now leads the world in terms of speed and volume of vaccines administered, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the total inoculations globally," Adhere said.

China's breakthrough in the push for vaccination is part of its sterling job in containing the spread of the coronavirus, considering that the country has adopted a series of public health measures since day one, including timely lockdowns, and fast establishment of facilities for COVID-19 testing and treatment, according to the expert.

Attributing China's achievements in the vaccination campaign to the people-centered leadership of the Communist Party of China, Adhere said, "while the threat levels in China are comparatively low, the people's trust in government-led programs has seen more Chinese nationals enlist for the jab."

China has also leveraged its technological and industrial prowess to boost vaccine manufacturing to meet domestic demand, he said, noting that China's quest for diversification of vaccine production has fuelled healthy competition among local manufacturers, leading to higher output.

As weak supply chains, vaccine nationalism and hoarding remain a threat to global efforts to contain the virus, China, by contrast, has donated and exported batches of vaccines to boost Africa's immunization drive, he said.

According to official data, China has provided more than 350 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the international community, including vaccine aid provided for over 80 developing countries and those exported to more than 40 countries.

The fast recovery of the Chinese economy has also proven that mass vaccination is a durable settlement of the public health crisis, he said, noting that China is estimated to account for 30 percent of the global economic growth in 2020.

"So a stable China is an incentive to the world economic wellness, particularly at this time when economic recovery remains a priority for all countries and territories," said Adhere.