Fauci says China has done a bad job of vaccinating the elderly and their shots are not very effective against Covid

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing to discuss President Biden’s fiscal year 2023 budget request for the National Institute of Health on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 17, 2022.

The top infectious disease expert in the U.S. criticized China's Covid lockdowns as "draconian" and said the Beijing government should focus on vaccinations.

Fauci told The Washington Post in an interview on Thursday that the vaccine the elderly have been given has not been very effective.

Fauci said that a larger public health goal of making society safer when it reopens is the reason for the temporary lock downs. China's Covid controls don't seem to have an end in sight.

Fauci said, "If there was any advice, it's pretty simple and it's not just coming from me - it's coming from any number of people involved in this outbreak."

Protests broke out in China over the weekend against Covid lock downs. While most of the world is relying on vaccines to prevent severe disease so that society can return to normal despite ongoing circulation of the virus, China has a zero Covid policy.

Sinovac is the manufacturer of the vaccine that China uses. The shot contains a killed virus that causes an immune response. Pfizer and Moderna have not received approval from Beijing.

Fauci said that the China-made vaccines are not as effective as the vaccines that have been used in the US.

A person walks past a poster encouraging elderly people to get vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), near a residential compound in Beijing, China March 30, 2022. Picture taken March 30, 2022. 

The data on Sinovac-CoronaVac's effectiveness against the omicron variant is limited. The effectiveness of all the Covid vaccines has been eroded by Omicron.

Hong Kong scientists found that two doses of CoronaVac were effective in preventing severe disease or death in people over the age of 80. According to the study, two doses of Pfizer's vaccine were effective at preventing death in this age group.

The people ages 80 and older who received three doses of CoronaVac were protected against severe disease and death. The study said this was equivalent to the protection provided by Pfizer.

According to a report by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, older adults in China are less likely to get a vaccine than other countries.

The clinical trials for China's vaccine did not enroll enough adults over the age of 60 so there is insufficient data on its safety and effectiveness.

The vaccine campaign in China began with people in essential positions, followed by adults 18 to 59 years old, and finally older adults.

The number of people over the age of 80 who have received a booster shot has gone up.