Big Countries Have To Take Responsibility In Omicron Outbreaks (Ambassador Of China)
Leading countries must shoulder their responsibilities in taking the lead in supplying COVID-19 vaccines to low and middle-income countries and helping them develop their manufacturing capabilities as the Omicron variant quickly spreads around the world, said the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Qin Corridor on Tuesday.
“Since the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly all over the world, we are facing a very bad situation. Therefore, there is an urgent need to ensure adequate supplies and equitable distribution of vaccines,” said Qin.
Representing China’s State Councilor and Secretary of State Wang Yi, Qin made the remarks while attending the virtual meeting on the COVID-19 variant of Omicron hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
At the meeting, issues such as the global impact and the response to the COVID-19 Omicron variant were discussed with several foreign ministers and representatives from regional organizations.
China has worked hard to make COVID-19 vaccines a global public good and help meet the World Health Organization’s vaccination goals, Qin said.
As per the ambassador, China has so far supplied nearly 2 billion doses of vaccine to more than 120 countries and international organizations, making China the largest supplier of vaccines to other countries.
In addition to the $100 million donations to COVAX, China has pledged to donate an additional 100 million doses of vaccine to other developing countries and to provide an additional 1 billion doses of vaccine to Africa.
Of the 5.6 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines given outside of China, China has now provided a third, Qin said.
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The ambassador called on the international community to fight the pandemic together, saying: “We must fight misinformation and vaccination discrimination and increase vaccination rates.”
China will continue to work with the international community to foster international cooperation on COVID-19, reduce the global “immune gap” and work together to build a global health community for all, Qin said.
The Omicron variant represents a new challenge for the Beijing Winter Olympics, saying: “China will take more effective measures to protect athletes and guests from all countries. We look forward to having an optimized, safe, and beautiful Winter Olympics.”
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