China’s ‘Dr Fauci’ tries to boost Covid-19 vaccination drive

Zhang Wenhong, who has become one of the country’s most-trusted medical experts, tells social media followers ‘we need to keep at it’ to beat disease
In recent weeks Beijing’s priority has shifted from exporting vaccines to its drive to inoculate its own population

China's border reopening

Eduardo Baptista

Published: 6:30pm, 13 Jun 2021

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One of China’s most trusted medical experts has urged the public to get their Covid-19 jabs as soon as possible as Beijing’s priorities shift from vaccine diplomacy to mass inoculation at home.

Zhang Wenhong – whose public appearances have made him a household name in China and led descriptions of him as China’s “Dr Fauci” – issued his appeal to his 3.6 million followers on Weibo.

Zhang, the director of Shanghai’s Huashan Hospital’s department of infectious diseases, wrote: “Since June 11 2021, the whole country has totalled 860 million jabs, leading the world early on. However, the proportion of those that have received two doses is still relatively low. We need to keep at it.

“Only by completing the widespread roll-out of the vaccine can an obstacle against the virus be built up, once the virus enters, even if it’s a variant, the speed of its transmission will be weakened by a large degree.

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“It will then allow us to take targeted prevention and control measures in a calm manner to greatly reduce the virus’s harmfulness and to maintain the normal openness and operation of the world.”

Zhang’s post, titled “Summary of Clinical Trial Data on Covid-19 variants, a Reminder that Mankind Can Still Win this Protracted War”, comes as mutations of the coronavirus have caused a spate of new outbreaks across the world, including in mainland China and Taiwan.

Zhang’s appeal also dovetails with the Chinese government’s recent push to achieve herd immunity within its borders, after a long spell during which more vaccines were being delivered to foreign countries than used for inoculations on the mainland.

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Known for his straight-talking character, 51-year-old Zhang shot to fame last year after telling the media he assigned doctors who were Communist Party members to work at a hospital on the front line of the coronavirus outbreak in Shanghai. Zhang, who is also a party member, said the decision was non-negotiable.

In February, data compiled by the South China Morning Post showed that China had exported more Covid-19 doses than have been administered in the country.

Since then, however, it has accelerated its domestic vaccine roll-out, passing 500 million jabs late last month. While the country will surpass the one billion milestone before the end of this month, Zhang stressed the two doses were needed to offer proper protection against the virus and its variants.

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A study by the University of Chile found that one dose of Chinese firm Sinovac’s Covid-19 vaccine was only 3 per cent effective against infection. Efficacy rises to 27.7 per cent within two weeks of the second jab, reaching 56.5 per cent a fortnight later.

China’s domestic vaccination campaign is the precursor to a future relaxation of the strict border controls that have been in place for almost 15 months. Since March last year, China has suspended the entry of most foreign nationals and imposed long quarantines on those with valid work and residence visas.