Chinese Sinopharm Vaccine Faces Hesitancy in Barbados

Last Updated on September 5, 2021 9:54 pm by Editor

Sinopharm, the latest covid-19 vaccination procured by the Barbados government, went on offer to the Barbadian public on Tuesday 13 July. Not surprisingly, the reported uptake of the vaccine was well below expectations on the first day.

The Astra Zeneca vaccine, 200,000 doses of which were donated by the Indian government, was the first vaccine offered to the Barbadian public earlier this year. Although it faced some initial hesitancy, the uptake increased dramatically since the start of its distribution in February.

Thirty thousand (30,000) doses of the Sinopharm vaccine were donated to the Barbados government by the Chinese ambassador to the country in a ceremony on the tarmac of the Grantley Adams Airport. 

Those who understand the consumer behaviour aspect of Marketing will not be surprised at the hesitancy. China has an image problem and to use a well-known Marketing term, its products are perceived to be “positioned” in the “low quality-low price” VFM (value-for-money) quadrant.

But there are other reasons why Barbadians may hesitate to take the Chinese vaccine.

An increasing number of Barbadians are aware that the corona virus which causes covid-19, started in China.  Many are aware that the outbreak of Sars-1 in 2003, another flu-like disease, also started in China.

Furthermore, in recent months, Barbadians would have become very attuned to the fact that several countries have called out the Chinese government for their role in facilitating the spread of the virus across the world in the first place.  Given these facts alone there is bound to be a greater level of hesitancy over taking Sinopharm, compared to Astra Zeneca, despite the fact that both have been approved by the WHO.  

It may also be the case that WHO approval might not impress Barbadians as much as some might want to believe. Despite bouts of fake news, Barbadians are by no means under-informed. Many are aware of some of the less savoury history of the WHO (alleged or otherwise), the fact that the WHO  is effectively controlled by the Chinese and that the WHO director, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus is known to have kowtowed to Chinese government on more than one occasion with respect to issues relating to the origin of the corona virus.

The foregoing is offered by way of explanation for the hesitancy and is in no way a suggestion that Sinopharm should not be taken.  An Internet search reveals that China has donated doses of the vaccine to India, countries in Asia and Africa. At this point, Barbados Uncensored is not aware of any reports of negative side-effects of the vaccine.  However, this is not the same thing as saying that it is as effective against covid-19 as is claimed. 

Barbadians have been made aware of the difficulty of obtaining covid-19 vaccines.  Global licensing of vaccine production, manufacturing output, vaccine effectiveness rates and distribution logistics have created a messy situation and occasioned hair-pulling moments for many governments even in parts of the developed world such as France and Germany.  

Given the increasing tendency towards mandatory vaccination and vaccine passports across the world, the openness of the Barbadian economy as well as the need to reopen the country safely, Sinopharm offers another 15,000 Barbadians  a chance at some level of protection and thereby some peace of mind.   

Admitting that the effectiveness of the vaccine here is yet to be seen, Co-coordinator of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign, Dr. Elizabeth Ferdinand has conceded that half a loaf is better than no loaf at all.

Barbados Uncensored will continue to report on and analyze issues related to covid-19 in a balanced manner particularly from a faith-based position.  Coming soon is our analysis of the rate of infection measure and the potential need for alternative approaches to testing.   

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Researchers at the UWI have posted a survey entitled: COVID-19 and a New Vaccine: The Barbadian Perspective.  The stated aim of the survey is, “To assess the knowledge, attitudes & perceptions surrounding COVID-19 & the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine among Barbadians”.  Persons 18 years and over are encouraged to participate. The survey can be accessed online here.