Berlin has sent its first batch of BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to China to be administered initially to German expatriates, a German government spokesperson said on Wednesday, the first foreign coronavirus vaccine to be delivered to the country.
No details were available on the timing and size of the delivery, although the spokesperson said Berlin is pushing for foreigners other than German nationals, estimated at about 20,000, to be allowed access to the shot if they want it.
Family members of other nationalities would not be included. Vaccinations for children under 12 may follow at a later date. The comment comes after a report earlier this month that Germany's health ministry had granted a permit allowing China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to be imported to Germany to be given to Chinese citizens in that country.
The shipment comes amid Beijing dismantling its strict "zero-COVID" regime of lockdowns, which has led toExperts predict that the country of 1.4 billion people could face more than a million COVID-19 deaths next year. While the shots became available in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, the regulatory review for mainland China has not been concluded. BioNTech has said that decision was up to Chinese regulators and has not given a reason for the delay.
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