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For a number of reasons, immunization programmes in Central Asia are progressing slowly. Hesitation is a factor.
Kazakhstan is a regional leader in vaccination, but that doesn’t mean much because vaccine rollouts in Asia have been slow compared to Western countries. Meanwhile, reports from Kazakhstan point to bureaucratic hurdles, hesitation and lack of knowledge about the vaccine developed in the country.
To date, about 8. 3 percent of the Kazakh population, or about 1. 4 million people, have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. This figure has seen an increase in recent weeks due to the availability of locally produced doses of Russian Sputnik. Vaccine V, in addition to imported doses.
Last week, Kazakhstan began administering doses of its locally developed vaccine, QazVac. But RFE/RL’s Farangis Najibullah noted in an article today that some are wary of the national vaccine because there is rarely much public knowledge about it. Kazakhstan’s state-backed Research Institute for Biosafety Issues developed the vaccine and says it is 96% effective in phase two trials. Phase 3 trials of the vaccine are not expected to end until July.
Lesbek Kutymbetov, one of the developers of QazVac, would have taken the first hit in his first attempts. According to RFE/RL, Kutymbetov explained the lack of published data on the vaccine by saying that the developers “don’t have time. “. to write articles. ” With no published knowledge about the first and second phases, outside experts are cautious, however, anecdotes from RFE/RL and Reuters vaccination sites recommend that Americans waiting in line to receive the vaccine don’t necessarily care about the one they get. .
Kazakhstan is also expected to use a vaccine developed in China and manufactured in the United Arab Emirates under the so-called Hayat-Vax, the first doses of which have just arrived in the country. Hayat-Vax is Sinopharm’s vaccine that is still being manufactured through a joint initiative. project between the Chinese company and G42, a generation company based in Abu Dhabi.
According to data collected through Our World in Data, Kazakhstan’s vaccination rate (8. 3% as of May 5) is comparable to that of Russia (8. 7%) and India (9. 4%), and higher than that of the most evolved and wealthy Asian countries. such as South Korea (6. 9%) and Japan (2. 2%). Kazakhstan is also ahead of its regional neighbors, Kyrgyzstan (0. 41 percent as of April 28) and Uzbekistan (1. 8 percent as of April 27). (Note: Our World in Data has official information from Tajikistan or Turkmenistan for comparison. )
There are myriad reasons for this. For example, availability of supplies is a serious issue impacting the pace of vaccination campaigns, especially in countries without domestic manufacturing capabilities. In addition, differences in government vaccination programs, particularly eligibility requirements and staffing and facility availability could hamper rollouts. Finally, hesitancy is also a factor contributing to slow vaccination rates.
According to a recent Gallop poll, 68% of adults worldwide would be willing to get vaccinated if given a vaccine, free of charge. That leaves 32 percent who would decide not to get vaccinated. that the 68% figure is lower than the 70% to 90% estimated by experts that would be needed to achieve global herd immunity.
According to the survey results, citizens of Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union are the most likely to hesitate. To the question: “If a coronavirus vaccine could be obtained for free right now, would you agree to get vaccinated?” only 25 percent of Kazakhs surveyed said “yes” and 61 percent said “no. ” In Kyrgyzstan, survey results reveal that the population is virtually equal: 41% said they would get vaccinated and 45% said they would. No. The hesitation is less pronounced in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In Tajikistan, a majority of 64 percent said “yes” and 28 percent said “no. ” In Uzbekistan, 70% said they would get vaccinated, while less than a quarter, or 23%, said they would not. (Note: “Don’t know” and “Reject” make up the remaining percentages. )
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Kazakhstan is a regional leader in vaccination, but that doesn’t mean much because vaccine rollouts in Asia have been slow compared to Western countries. Meanwhile, reports from Kazakhstan point to bureaucratic obstacles, hesitation and lack of knowledge about the vaccine developed in the country.
To date, about 8. 3% of the Kazakh population, or about 1. 4 million people, have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. This figure has seen an expansion in recent weeks due to the availability of locally produced doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, in addition to imported doses.
Last week, Kazakhstan began administering doses of its locally developed vaccine, QazVac. But RFE/RL’s Farangis Najibullah noted in an article today that some are wary of the national vaccine because there is rarely much public knowledge about it. Kazakhstan’s state-backed Research Institute for Biosafety Issues developed the vaccine and says it is 96% effective in phase two trials. Phase 3 trials of the vaccine are not expected to end until July.
Lesbek Kutymbetov, one of the developers of QazVac, would have taken the first hit in his first attempts. According to RFE/RL, Kutymbetov explained the lack of published data on the vaccine by saying that the developers “don’t have time. “. to write articles. ” With no published knowledge about the first and second phases, outside experts are cautious, however, anecdotes from RFE/RL and Reuters vaccination sites recommend that Americans waiting in line to receive the vaccine don’t necessarily care about the one they get. .
Kazakhstan is also expected to use a vaccine developed through China and manufactured in the United Arab Emirates under the so-called Hayat-Vax, the first doses of which have just arrived in the country. Hayat-Vax markets the Sinopharm vaccine through a joint venture between the Chinese company and G42, an Abu Dhabi generation company.
According to data compiled by Our World in Data, Kazakhstan’s vaccination rate (8.3 percent as of May 5) is on par with rates in Russia (8.7 percent) and India (9.4 percent), and higher than rates in more developed, wealthier Asian countries like South Korea (6.9 percent) and Japan (2.2 percent). Kazakhstan is also ahead of regional neighbors Kyrgyzstan (.41 percent as of April 28) and Uzbekistan (1.8 percent as of April 27). (Note: Our World in Data does not have official data from Tajikistan or Turkmenistan to compare).
There are many reasons for this. For example, the availability of materials is a serious challenge that affects the speed of immunization campaigns, especially in countries without domestic production capacity. Furthermore, differences in government immunization programs, that is, eligibility requirements as well as the availability of facilities and services, may simply obstruct the rollout. Finally, hesitancy also contributes to slowing vaccination rates.
According to a recent Gallop poll, 68% of adults worldwide would be willing to get vaccinated if given a vaccine, free of charge. That leaves 32 percent who would decide not to get vaccinated. that the 68% figure is lower than the 70% to 90% estimated by experts that would be needed to achieve global herd immunity.
According to the survey results, citizens of Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union are the most likely to be hesitant. To the question: “If you could get a coronavirus vaccine for free right now, would you agree to get vaccinated?Only 25 percent of Kazakhs surveyed said “yes” and 61 percent said “no. “In Kyrgyzstan, the survey results reveal that the population is pretty much the same: 41% said they would get vaccinated and 45% said they would. No. La hesitation is less pronounced in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In Tajikistan, a majority of 64 percent said “yes” and 28 percent said “no. “In Uzbekistan, 70% said they would get vaccinated, while less than a quarter, or 23%, said they would not. (Note: “Don’t know” and “Reject” make up the remaining percentages. )
Kazakhstan is a regional leader in vaccination, but that doesn’t mean much because vaccine rollouts in Asia have been slow compared to Western countries. Meanwhile, reports from Kazakhstan point to bureaucratic hurdles, hesitation and lack of knowledge about the vaccine developed in the country.
To date, about 8. 3% of the Kazakh population, or about 1. 4 million people, have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. This figure has expanded in recent weeks due to the availability of locally produced doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. , in addition to imported doses.
Catherine Putz is the editor-in-chief of The Diplomat.