In the UK and other Western countries, they are prioritising immunisation of the most vulnerable in a bid to reach herd immunity. But Beijing is racing to vaccinate those aged between 18 and 59 who work for the government and public services.
In China, their vaccine is produced by state-run drug maker Sinopharm which is believed to have an efficacy rate of 79 percent.
Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the state-run, The Global Times, has praised the Communist nation for focusing on vaccinating younger people.
In Hu Says, an online talk show published by the publication, the 60-year-old editor said avoiding the elderly with the vaccine reflected China’s “responsible attitude”.
He said: “Western public opinion believes that the Covid-19 vaccine should be first distributed among the elderly and that avoiding this group indicate that Sinopharm’s vaccine is not yet mature.
“I think it reflects China’s responsible attitude.”
He claimed “very few” new infections across the Communist nation were elderly people and middle-aged and younger people could spread the virus quicker.
He added: “That’s why the Chinese government’s decision fits our situation on the ground.”
In a separate comment piece, the publication continued to criticise the West and urged them to start learning from China and adopt a centralised social system.
READ MORE: Boris offers hope with vaccine boost – but one million have Covid
Despite the virus originating in Wuhan, China, the country has managed to curb the pandemic inside its borders by introducing harsh lockdowns and mass testing.
A team from the World Health Organisation (WHO) is set to visit China to investigate the origins of the virus.
Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, warned the WHO will have to be “politically savvy” to please all major parties.
He said: “Even before this investigation, top officials from both sides have been very polarised in their opinions on the origin of the outbreak.
“They will have to be politically savvy and draw conclusions that are acceptable to all the major parties.”
Currently more than 1.8 million people have been killed due to the outbreak of the virus.
In the UK, more than 2,000,000 have been infected and deaths have surpassed 70,000.
As the second vaccine was rolled out across the NHS yesterday, England was plunged into a third national lockdown as cases continued to soar.
Today marks the highest daily total reported in the country so far with more than 60,000 and a further 830 people have died.
Currently the Pfizer and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines are available for key workers and the elderly.