China’s bet on homegrown mRNA vaccines holds back nation

By HUIZHONG WU and ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL
Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China is trying to navigate its biggest coronavirus outbreak without a tool it could have adopted many months ago, the kind of vaccines that have proven to offer the best protection against the worst outcomes from COVID-19. The mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have still not been approved in mainland China, despite evidence they are the best protection against severe disease and death. Instead, China has pinned its hopes on homegrown mRNA vaccines that are still being tested. Health experts say the strategy could lead to avoidable deaths and deeper economic losses because whole cities would be locked down to insulate the country’s unprotected population.