g-f(2)91 THE BIG PICTURE OF THE DIGITAL AGE, NYT, China Wanted to Show Off Its Vaccines. It’s Backfiring.

VIRAL KNOWLEDGE: The “genioux facts” knowledge news

Extra-condensed knowledge

NYT. China Wanted to Show Off Its Vaccines. It’s Backfiring.

• Delays, inconsistent data, spotty disclosures and the country’s attacks on Western rivals have marred its ambitious effort to portray itself as a leader in global health.
• China’s coronavirus vaccines were supposed to deliver a geopolitical win that showcased the country’s scientific prowess and generosity. Instead, in some places, they have set off a backlash.
• China remains on a par with the United States in the number of vaccines approved for emergency use or in late-stage trials.

Genioux knowledge fact condensed as an image

The “genioux facts” Knowledge Big Picture (g-f KBP) charts

The “genioux facts” Knowledge Big Picture (g-f KBP) standard chart

The “genioux facts” Knowledge Big Picture (g-f KBP) graphic

Condensed knowledge  

• NYT. China Wanted to Show Off Its Vaccines. It’s Backfiring.
• Delays, inconsistent data, spotty disclosures and the country’s attacks on Western rivals have marred its ambitious effort to portray itself as a leader in global health.
• China’s coronavirus vaccines were supposed to deliver a geopolitical win that showcased the country’s scientific prowess and generosity. Instead, in some places, they have set off a backlash.
• China remains on a par with the United States in the number of vaccines approved for emergency use or in late-stage trials. 
• Officials in Brazil and Turkey have complained that Chinese companies have been slow to ship the doses and ingredients.
• Disclosures about the Chinese vaccines have been slow and spotty. The few announcements that have trickled out suggest that China’s vaccines, while considered effective, cannot stop the virus as well as those developed by Pfizer and Moderna, the American drugmakers.
• Beijing officials who had hoped the vaccines would burnish China’s global reputation are now on the defensive.
• At least 24 countries, most of them low and middle income, signed deals with the Chinese vaccine companies because they offered access when richer nations had claimed most of the doses made by Pfizer and Moderna. 
• The delays in getting the Chinese vaccines and the fact that the vaccines are less effective mean that those countries may take longer to vanquish the virus.
• State media has started a misinformation campaign against the American vaccines, questioning the safety of the Pfizer and Moderna shots and promoting the Chinese vaccines as a better alternative.
• Sinopharm, a state-owned vaccine maker, and Sinovac have said they can produce up to a combined two billion doses this year, making them essential to the global fight against the coronavirus.
• China’s campaign has been plagued with doubts, however. Many people have memories of the country’s vaccine scandals. 
• Several governments remain angry about Beijing’s lack of openness about the virus in the early days of the pandemic.
• A YouGov survey this month of roughly 19,000 people in 17 countries and regions showed that most were distrustful of a Covid-19 vaccine made in China. The misinformation campaign surrounding Western vaccines could further undermine its image.

Category 2: The Big Picture of the Digital Age

[genioux fact produced, deduced or extracted from NYT]

Type of essential knowledge of this “genioux fact”: Essential Deduced and Extracted Knowledge (EDEK).

Type of validity of the "genioux fact". 

• Inherited from sources + Supported by the knowledge of one or more experts.

Authors of the genioux fact

Fernando Machuca

References

China Wanted to Show Off Its Vaccines. It’s Backfiring., Sui-Lee Wee, January 25, 2021, The New York Times, NYT.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Sui-Lee Wee

Sui-Lee Wee is a correspondent for The New York Times in the Beijing bureau. She has covered China for close to a decade and writes about social issues, gender, genetic surveillance, health care and the intersection of demographics and the economy.