| Those who have observed China contain the coronavirus over the past year expected its vaccine rollout to be conducted with similar speed and ferocity, and potentially cast western governments in a poor light again.
Two months into its inoculation drive, the reality on the ground is surprisingly underwhelming.
Since it officially started on Dec. 15, China has given out more than 31 million shots, second only to the 42 million in the U.S. But with its massive population, that means only slightly more than 2 people out of 100 have been vaccinated in China, compared with almost 4 in the European Union, nearly 13 in the U.S. and 61 in Israel.
The sluggish pace puts the world's most-populous nation behind other major economies in the sprint toward vaccine-based herd immunity. At current vaccinating speeds, China will reach herd immunity only in 5.5 years, compared with 10 months for the U.S. and six months for the U.K., according to Bloomberg's tracker.  People receive Covid-19 shots at a temporary vaccination center in Beijing. Photographer: STR/AFP via Getty Images China has pushed back a target to inoculate 50 million people against Covid-19 by almost two months amid concerns over supply and hesitancy among the population around vaccines, according to people familiar with the matter.
Reasons for the slow rollout also include concern over the safety and level of protection promised by a local vaccine and a lack of urgency, with Covid-19 largely confined to winter flareups in parts of the north. Unlike with testing, quarantine and travel curbs, the government also appears to be taking a relatively light touch with vaccines and allowing people to turn them down.
If that continues, much of the Chinese population will remain susceptible to the virus when countries like the U.S. reach herd immunity. It also means travel restrictions and strict quarantines will continue, potentially sapping the world's second-largest economy's growth when others start to bounce back. Watching from still-sealed borders how its major trade partners reopen to one another, Beijing might have to wonder if it can still claim success for the China model—or if winning the containment battle meant losing the vaccine war.—Rachel Chang | 
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