China and the west must now cooperate to achieve global Covid vaccine coverage | Sophie Zinser

Given the G7's underwhelming pledge, WHO approval for two Chinese jabs is a welcome boost

Vaccine diplomacy" has evolved into a dirty phrase, not least in relation to China and the notion that its government could be exchanging ineffective jabs for geopolitical capital. At the weekend the G7 pledged just 1bn of the 11bn vaccines needed to immunise low- and middle-income countries, suggesting that the west cannot vaccinate the world alone. But, over the past month, international scientific and public health authorities have confirmed an exciting finding: that, despite the doubts of some critics, vaccines made by Chinese companies actually work. While they may remain ideological adversaries, China and the west now have no choice but to collaborate on vaccinating the world.

On 2 June, the World Health Organization finally approved Sinovac for emergency use. Just days earlier, China's largest state-owned pharmaceutical manufacturer, Sinopharm, had released peer-reviewed phase III clinical trial data proving its vaccine's efficacy to western sceptics - and had it published in the the Journal of the American Medical Association, no less. Phase III's golden seal" means that each vaccine is effective enough to be widely distributed. But critical gaps in safety data for patients over the age of 60 remain for both Sinovac and Sinopharm jabs. While significant, these data holes notably did not deter a major approval from the world's highest public health authority. With only 6% of the globe fully vaccinated, the need for doses clearlyoutweighs the risks the vaccines may pose.