BERLIN, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Berlin has sent its first batch of BioEntech (22UAy.DE) The Covid-19 vaccine in China will be given primarily to German expatriates, a German government spokesman said on Wednesday, the first foreign coronavirus vaccine to be distributed in the country.
No details were available on the timing and size of the delivery, although the spokesman said Berlin was pushing for foreigners other than German citizens, estimated at around 20,000, to be allowed access to the shot if they wanted.
Shipment comes after China Agree to allow German nationals in China to get a shot following an agreement during Chancellor Olaf’s time Scholz’s visit to Beijing Last month, the German leader pressed for Beijing to make the shot freely available to Chinese citizens as well.
In a letter sent to German citizens in mainland China, the government said it would provide free primary vaccinations and booster shots of vaccines approved for use in the European Union to anyone over the age of 12.
Family members of other nationalities will not be included. Children under 12 may be vaccinated at a later date.
“We are working on the possibility of vaccinating Germans as well as other foreigners with BioEntech,” the spokesman told reporters in Berlin.
The shots will be distributed to German companies in China as well as embassy locations, and discussions are underway with other EU governments about taking them to citizens of other nationalities, a source familiar with the situation said.
China would have to approve expanding access beyond German citizens, the source said.
In return, Chinese citizens in Europe can be vaccinated with China’s Sinovac (SVA.O)The spokesperson said.
Comments come later Reported Earlier this month, Germany’s health ministry allowed China’s Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine to be imported into Germany and given to Chinese nationals in that country.
The shot has not been approved for use by Europe’s drug regulator, however World Health Organization gave the green light for its use.
Beijing has so far insisted on using only domestically produced vaccines, based not on Western mRNA technology but on more traditional technology.
The shipment comes as Beijing dismantles its strict “zero-Covid” regime of lockdown, which has led to a spike in cases that has left a fragile health system unprepared.
Experts predict that the country of 1.4 billion people could face more than a million Covid deaths next year.
Allowing the German diaspora access to the Western shot is a major gesture for Berlin, reflecting Beijing’s efforts to strengthen ties with the EU’s largest economy after years of tensions between the two countries over trade and climate.
Shares of BioEntech rose on news of the shipment, closing 2.3% higher in Frankfurt while shares of Pfizer rose 1.25% in late New York morning trade.
BioEntech was not immediately available to comment on the situation Wednesday.
No western shots
China has nine domestically developed Covid vaccines approved for use, more than any other country. But none have been updated to target highly infectious Omicron variants like Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. (mRNA.O) Many developed countries have boosters.
Two shots developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are the most widely used around the world.
Early in the pandemic, BioEntech entered into an agreement with Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (600196.SS) To deliver shots to Greater China.
The shots are available in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, but regulatory review for mainland China has not been completed. BioEntech said the decision was up to Chinese regulators and did not give a reason for the delay.
China’s zero-covid policy and lockdown measures have kept death and infection rates to a minimum over the past few months but have caused massive disruptions domestically and in global trade and supply chains.
China uses a narrow definition of Covid deaths and has not reported any new deaths for tuesdayEven its overall toll since the pandemic began has surpassed one, now 5,241 – a fraction of the toll in the much less populated country.
The National Health Commission said on Tuesday that only deaths due to pneumonia and respiratory failure among patients infected with the virus are classified as Covid deaths.
Reporting by Thomas Eskrit, Alexander Ratz and Christian Kramer; Additional reporting by Danilo Massoni in Milan and Amanda Cooper in London; Miranda Murray wrote; Edited by Josephine Mason and David Evans
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