COVID Options for Travel to China with Chinese-Made Vaccines

[berkeman]

I'm in a tough spot right now, and would appreciate learning about my options.

I'm fully vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine, and reasonably good for travel options to most western countries for business trips now (modulo the Delta variant surge and its restrictions). I really need to travel to China to support some test fixtures that I'm shipping there in the next few weeks, but our HR department says that a prerequisite for travel to China that has been imposed by the Chinese government now is to have been vaccinated with a "Chinese-made vaccine".

That seems like a political move by the Chinese government, but beyond that, since the Chinese-made vaccines are not FDA approved, it pretty much prevents all US travelers from going to China in the medium term at least, even for important business trips.

So, ignoring any safety/efficacy data for the Chinese-made vaccines for the moment, what are my options for getting a vaccination (or is it two?) with a Chinese-made vaccine so that I can qualify to travel to China soon? Is it available somehow in the US (via a clinical trial?), or do I have to travel to Canada/Japan/Philippennes?

And I guess I should ask, based on this (seemingly unreasonable) requirement by the Chinese government, have there been any studies yet on individuals like me who are fully vaccinated with a different vaccine who then take one of the Chinese-made vaccines?

Thanks.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01146-0

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01497-8

https://apnews.com/article/united-n...irus-vaccine-d038b8b430d680aba3e2d893d64004bc

 

[256bits]

Canada did iirc have a trial setup at the start of the pandemic but the chinese pulled the plug.
That could have been the vacinne you are talking about.

Moderna and the Pfizer are available depending on distribution and location.
Astra Zenica - limited if any doses given out. second shot of the mRNA type mix and match.
BTW, Travelers to some places europe may be denied entry if they received the AstraZenica double dose, or as a mix and match. Some travel operators deny acceptance also.
REASON - unknown.

Your PROBLEM is a lack of coordination internationally.

 

[berkeman]

Moderna and the Pfizer are available depending on distribution and location.

Wakarimasen. Moderna and Pfizer offer a Chinese-made vaccine?

 

[Astronuc]

I'm fully vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine, and reasonably good for travel options to most western countries for business trips now (modulo the Delta variant surge and its restrictions). I really need to travel to China to support some test fixtures that I'm shipping there in the next few weeks, but our HR department says that a prerequisite for travel to China that has been imposed by the Chinese government now is to have been vaccinated with a "Chinese-made vaccine".

That seems like a political move by the Chinese government, but beyond that, since the Chinese-made vaccines are not FDA approved, it pretty much prevents all US travelers from going to China in the medium term at least, even for important business trips.

Yes, it seems to be a 'political move' designed to discourage people from certain countries.

Two vaccine producers from China are Sinopharm and Sinovac.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57817591

More than 80 countries are using China's Covid vaccines, including many in Asia, among them Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Mongolia is another nation, so you could fly to Ulaanbaatar and get a vaccine. Malaysia may be a possibility. Singapore had Sinovac's vaccine, but apparently they transitioned to Pfizer to finish the innoculation program. Apparently, there is concern that Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines are somewhat less effective against infection. There is a lot of controversy as one can imagine.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/02/china/vaccines-sinovac-sinopharm-intl-hnk-dst/index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/22/business/economy/china-vaccines-covid-outbreak.html
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-...s-sinopharm-vaccine-emergency-use-2021-07-16/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinopharm_BIBP_COVID-19_vaccine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CoronaVac

 

[256bits]

Wakarimasen. Moderna and Pfizer offer a Chinese-made vaccine?

I wouldn't think so. Moderna and Pfizer have their own mRNA product to churn out.
I was giving the problems Canadians face with the vacinnes we are using here.

Have you already contacted a chinese consulate for a visa what did they say, besides your HR dept advice.

 

[berkeman]

Have you already contacted a chinese consulate for a visa what did they say, besides your HR dept advice.

I now work for a very large electronics corporation with a strong HR department. I haven't tried to contact the local Chinese consolate directly. I'll check their website just in case right now...

 

[Astronuc]

I now work for a very large electronics corporation with a strong HR department. I haven't tried to contact the local Chinese consolate directly. I'll check their website just in case right now...

Can you arrive in China without getting a vaccine before hand? Could you fly to Hong Kong and get a vaccine before traveling to your final destination?

 

[256bits]

By the way is that actual japanese. it sounds too much like What am I missing.

 

[berkeman]

By the way is that actual japanese. it sounds too much like What am I missing.

LOL, yes. As best as I can remember from my couple years in Japan as a youngster (Army brat). Domarigato anyway.

 

[berkeman]

Can you arrive in China without getting a vaccine before hand? Could you fly to Hong Kong and get a vaccine before traveling to your final destination?

Yeah, apparently the Chinese-made vaccines are available in the Philippennes and presumably Hong Kong, but I would prefer to jet there right now and come back to finish the prep and shipping of the fixtures to finish out whatever waiting period there is to be considered fully vaccinated. I guess I should search to see if it's a one or two dose Chinese vaccine, and what the waiting period is. Off to do that now...

 

[256bits]

Yeah, apparently the Chinese-made vaccines are available in the Philippennes and presumably Hong Kong, but I would prefer to jet there right now and come back to finish the prep and shipping of the fixtures to finish out whatever waiting period there is to be considered fully vaccinated. I guess I should search to see if it's a one or two dose Chinese vaccine, and what the waiting period is. Off to do that now...

That is kind of weird. Not you, but if you are already vaccinated, and then have to get a shot or two of the sino vaccine, in another country btw, for entry into china - how many shots of different vaccine can one take safely.

 

[BillTre]

If it were handy, I would go to the local Chinese embassy or consulate, and act like I expect to be able to get the vaccine there. (There are probably consulates in SF and LA. They probably have some vaccine doses there for their staff.
If you can get it there, the papers you get should work well in China since its from their own bureaucrats.

 

[atyy]

I'm fully vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine, and reasonably good for travel options to most western countries for business trips now (modulo the Delta variant surge and its restrictions). I really need to travel to China to support some test fixtures that I'm shipping there in the next few weeks, but our HR department says that a prerequisite for travel to China that has been imposed by the Chinese government now is to have been vaccinated with a "Chinese-made vaccine".

Check again. They changed in for travellers from Singapore to China recently, so that you can enter with Pfizer/Moderna. You need to do some extra tests compared to if you got Sinovac/Sinopharm, so still a hassle, but possible. The link below seems to show that it's similar for travellers from the US to China.

http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/notices/t1870474.htm
Notice on the Testing Requirements for China-Bound Passengers Departing from Dallas after Inoculated with COVID-19 Vaccines

And I guess I should ask, based on this (seemingly unreasonable) requirement by the Chinese government, have there been any studies yet on individuals like me who are fully vaccinated with a different vaccine who then take one of the Chinese-made vaccines?

Although I think there are not yet formal published studies, it should be fine. There are definitely people in Singapore who've done Sinovac followed by Pfizer; and the official Singapore government recommendation is that if one had an allergy to a first dose of Pfizer, that the second dose be Sinovac. Selfishly, you can think of it as getting your booster early and with an inactivated vaccine that some have reasonably speculated could complement the mRNA vaccines: https://www.virology.ws/2021/03/25/t-cells-will-save-us-from-covid-19/

 

[artis]

Although I can't help you @berkeman in any way I just want to say that I feel sad that big governments are acting like little children playing with science as it was a drama class.
Honestly I could not have imagined that there is such a law in place if I hadn't read it here.
Probably a retaliation move due to US criticism of how China handled the whole outbreak.
Or maybe just a power move to make sure Chinese local pharmaceutical companies also get revenue.
@atyy advice sounds reasonable.
Best of luck with your travel!