When Will COVID-19 Vaccines Become Available in Asia?

Testing results have shown that experimental vaccines² from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca are safe and effective in preventing coronavirus infection.

Countries, including Britain, Canada, the United States and the European Union, have approved or expected to approve these vaccines for emergency use.

In Asia, several countries have also started their own review process and signed agreements for a supply of the shots.

Australia

In Australia, the government has agreed to buy 140 million doses including 53.8 million from AstraZeneca and 10 million from Pfizer. The country also expects to get 51 million from Novavax and 25.5 million through COVAX, a vaccine¹ program run by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The country expects to receive 3.8 million shots of AstraZeneca's vaccine early in 2021. And it hopes to begin its vaccination³ program in March.

China

China's government has already vaccinated⁵ a million people under emergency use with three different local vaccines. The experimental shots are developed by Sinovac Biotech and state-owned China National Pharmaceutical⁶ Group (Sinopharm).

The government does not have supply agreements with Western drug makers⁸. But the drug-makers have partnered with private companies to supply the shots in China.

AstraZeneca is working with Chinese partner Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products to make at least 1 million shots yearly starting at the end of 2020. The companies are hoping for approval in China by the middle of 2021.

Chinese company Fosun Pharmaceutical Group is working with Pfizer and BioNTech.

Tibet Rhodiola Pharmaceutical Holding, another Chinese drug maker⁷, is testing Russian vaccine candidate Sputnik V.

Japan

Japan has agreements to buy 120 million doses from Pfizer-BioNTech in the first six months of 2021. It will also buy 120 million from AstraZeneca, which will ship the first 30 million shots by March 2021.

In addition, Japan has a deal for 250 million shots from Novavax and is in talks with American company Johnson & Johnson.

Experts said vaccine makers will need to conduct more tests in Japan before seeking approval for emergency use.

South Korea

South Korea has agreements to buy 20 million doses each from AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna. It also has a deal for 4 million from Johnson & Johnson, enough to cover up to 34 million people.

South Korea is looking for additional shots through the WHO's COVAX program. Vaccination is likely to start after March of 2021 to give health officials more time to observe possible side effects.

India

The head of the Serum⁹ Institute of India, which makes the AstraZeneca vaccine, said on November 23 that it will seek emergency use by the end of 2020. The drug maker plans to seek full approval for the shots in February or March of 2021.

India expects to launch a government-backed vaccine in February and is testing Russia's Sputnik V vaccine.

Taiwan(China)

Taiwan(China) aims to get about 15 million doses through COVAX to begin its vaccination program. The territory plans to buy another 15 million doses from other drug-makers.

The government has said it hopes to begin vaccinations¹⁰ between January and March of 2021.

Malaysia

Malaysia has agreed to buy 12.8 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine. It is the first country in Asia to announce a deal with the U.S. drug maker. Other Southeast Asian countries have expressed worries about the extremely-cold temperature required to store and transport Pfizer's vaccine.

Malaysia will get its first 1 million doses between January and March of 2021.

The Philippines

The Philippines announced an agreement on November 27 for 2.6 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and may buy another million shots. Those shots will only cover about 1 percent of the country's 108 million people.

It is also seeking 20 million to 50 million doses from Sinovac, the Chinese company, and is in talks with others, including Pfizer.

Indonesia

Indonesia is testing China's Sinovac vaccine. It plans to vaccinate⁴ the country's health workers and other high-risk groups in January 2021.

The most populous¹¹ Southeast Asian country has agreed to buy 125 million shots from Sinovac and 30 million from Novavax. It is also in talks with AstraZeneca and Pfizer to buy 50 million doses from each. And it expects to get 16 million more through the COVAX program.

Vietnam

A Vietnamese government official said its agreement with COVAX would cover only 20 percent of the population. The country is looking at vaccines from Russia and other countries to meet demands.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh signed an agreement with India's Serum Institute to buy 30 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. It also expects to receive 68 million doses at a lower cost through the COVAX program, a senior health ministry¹² official said.

Words in This Story

dose – n. the amount of medication that is given at one time

conduct – v. to undertake

serum – n. a medication that is taken to counteract an illness or poison

1 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

2 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

3 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

4 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。

5 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

6 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

7 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

8 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 serum   

n.浆液，血清，乳浆

参考例句：

• The serum is available to the general public.一般公众均可获得血清。
• Untreated serum contains a set of 11 proteins called complement.未经处理的血清含有一组蛋白质，共11种，称为补体。

10 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

12 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。