Azerbaijan decides on Chinese vaccine, roll-out to begin shortly

The Azerbaijani authorities have announced the start of a Covid-19 vaccination programme after choosing to go with a Chinese vaccine (Sinovac), which is marketed as highly effective, although many countries do not believe it to be.

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The Association for the Management of Medical Territorial Subdivisions (TƏBIB) says the country’s authorities were deliberating between the six most common vaccines that are currently available on the market.

The choice was made in favor of the Sinovac vaccine manufactured in China.

TƏBIB explained their choice by the fact that the Chinese vaccine is produced “naturally”, which is why it is “the safest” of all the options.

The Sinovac vaccine is said to have a 92 percent success rate.

TƏBIB noted that Sinovac is now used in China, Turkey, Indonesia and Brazil. When asked why Azerbaijan has gone ahead with the Chinese vaccine when other countries have decided against it, TƏBIB said that the Sinovac production process is “very complicated and expensive.”

The vaccination will be voluntary in Azerbaijan, and no administrative action will be taken against those who choose not to vaccinate.

During the initial stage of the vaccination process, medical workers and persons over 65 years of age, as well as law enforcement officers involved in the reinforcement of measures against the pandemic, will be vaccinated.

However, in Brazil, where the vaccination of the population with the Chinese Sinovac vaccine has already begun, the efficacy of the Chinese vaccine was found to be significantly lower than its developers initially claimed. The Center for Biotechnology of the Butantan Institute announced that the efficiency of Sinovac is only 50.38 percent.

Ukraine is also contemplating the purchase of the same vaccine. However, the Ukrainian Health Minister Maxim Stepanov said that if the effectiveness of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine is, indeed, below 70 percent, the country will not buy it.