China will have 600 million doses of Covid-19 inactivated vaccines ready this year and will make “a major announcement” in the coming one to two weeks, Wang Junzhi, Deputy Director of an expert task force on vaccine development said at a briefing in Wuhan. “It’s at the final stage now,” Wang added. Inactivated vaccines use a conventional technique that involves killing off the virus in a lab and using it to trigger an immune response. Two such vaccines developed by China National Biotec Group (CNBG) and a third by Sinovac Biotech are in the final stage of clinical trials in South America, the Middle East and Asia, but the drug makers have yet to release phase-3 data needed for full regulatory approval. The companies have already built the required high-level biosafety and production facilities. Sinovac has already shipped more than 1.12 million doses of its vaccine to Brazil, where it is conducting a phase-3 trial.

Wang did not give details of the 600 million doses, but previous media reports have said the two facilities under CNBG could supply 100 million doses this year with potential for 300 million by expanding existing capacity. Sinovac could also supply 100 million doses of its vaccine this year. Two other vaccines developed in China – by CanSino and Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical – are also in the final stage of human trials and the companies have said they could produce 100 million to 300 million doses this year, depending on demand.

The CNBG and Sinovac vaccines were authorized for emergency use at the end of July, and have already been given to about one million Chinese deemed high-risk. Several provinces have started the procurement process for these vaccines, including Zhejiang, Sichuan and Jiangsu. Britain has already approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and vaccinations will start this week. It is expected to be approved this week in the United States and Europe. Pfizer aims to provide 50 million doses globally this year. Moderna meanwhile said it expected to have between 100 million and 125 million doses of its experimental vaccine available globally in the first quarter of 2021.

Wang’s remarks came after Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who is in charge of health in China, visited a vaccine maker under CNBG, as well as Sinovac, and the national agency that oversees vaccines in Beijing. She told the drug makers they should “scientifically and rigorously” advance their phase-3 trials and be prepared for mass production of the vaccines. She said vaccination of all high-risk groups should be completed by the end of the year. CNBG phase-3 data could be released “soon”, its parent company China National Pharmaceutical Group said, while Sinovac is also expected to make an announcement on its phase-3 trial imminently, the South China Morning Post reports.

U.S.-based Delta Airlines has officially resumed direct flights between China and the U.S., instead of including a stopover in South Korea, making Delta the only American carrier to operate non-stop flights between the two countries, linking Shanghai to Seattle and Detroit twice per week. The flights will provide the highest level of disinfection and cleaning standards for a more convenient and comfortable air travel experience, said Wong Hong, President of Greater China and Singapore for Delta. Delta suspended flights between the U.S. and China in February due to the coronavirus pandemic, and it resumed flights in June and July, with a stop in Seoul. Two other U.S.-based carriers – American and United – still include a stop in South Korea.

A China-Japan “fast track” for personnel exchanges is expected to facilitate travel between the two countries. Chinese nationals who intend to visit Japan for short-term business purposes, or medium- to long-stay purposes, became eligible to apply for the “business track” and “residence track” last week. Those who apply for the business track must still present an invitation letter and submit a negative Covid-19 test conducted within 72 hours before their arrival in Japan. Travelers eligible for the business track are also required to stay within a limited range during the 14-day quarantine, according to a notice issued by the Consulate-General of Japan in Shanghai. Four nations – China, Singapore, Vietnam and South Korea – are eligible for the track.

China’s economic rebound gained momentum last month as official purchasing managers indexes for the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors both reached their highest level so far this year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said. The PMI increased to 52.1 in November versus 51.4 a month earlier. The non-manufacturing PMI edged up to 56.4 in November compared with 56.2 in October, as market demand in the services sector recovered while construction activity sped up. The BOC Research Institute expects China’s GDP to grow by around 7.5% on a yearly basis in 2021, up from around 2.1% expected this year.

This overview is based on reports by the South China Morning Post, Global Times, China Daily and Shanghai Daily.