People in China are travelling across the country amid global pandemic. Here’s why

Amid the ongoing global pandemic, people in China are travelling across the country not because travel restrictions have been eased as the Covid-19 wave ebbed in the country, but in search of vaccine shot. As the country is offering experimental vaccine shots in select places, reports claim that people who are planning to leave the country for education and business purposes are travelling to those places.

China launched its emergency vaccine programme in July for essential workers. Now it has broadened the programme and Zhejiang’s Shaoxing residents aged between 18 and 59 can now apply online for inoculation, which will cost 400 yuan (60 dollars) for two doses, with an additional fee of 28 yuan per dose.

China’s Zhejiang has become the first Chinese province to offer inoculation to non-priority residents. Zhejiang’s Yiwu is also offering voluntary vaccine shots.

For these vaccine shots, which are still under trial, the applicants have to mention why they need emergency vaccine.

China’s Global Times has, however, said the Covid-19 vaccine shots are “restricted to key groups with urgent need”. “Local residents who come to seek advice could leave their names and contact information and wait for further notice,” it said quoting a health worker from Jiaxing in Zhejiang.

It added that the emergency use strictly follows the review procedure in China as well as WHO rules, and has been reported to the WHO for ratification, quoting Zheng Zhongwei, an official from the National Health Commission in charge of technology development.

Three vaccine manufacturers in China, Sinovac, Sinopharm and CanSino, have been conducting clinical trials in Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt, Russia and Pakistan, recruiting hundreds and thousands of volunteers, Global Times said.

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