Many Chinese, including medical personnel, are still skeptical about the safety and effectiveness of the domestic Covid-19 vaccine, making them hesitate to use it.

A doctor at a public hospital in northeastern China, Zhang Quan is at high risk of getting nCoV.

However, Zhang did not feel too excited when he was on the top priority list for the Covid-19 vaccine.

"There have been reports of health care workers in the US and UK suffering serious side effects following Covid-19 vaccination," Zhang said, referring to allergic reactions in some people.

Zhang said he wants to wait until the Chinese pharmaceutical corporations release the full results from their vaccine trials.

"I have not seen any Phase Three peer assessment data. Besides, China is very strict in pandemic control and Anshan has not recorded any cases for many months.

Chinese officials are planning to give the country a self-developed Covid-19 vaccine to millions of people in high-risk groups, including front-line health workers, to create the first line of defense against

This high-risk group also includes harbor workers, and staff handling and transporting frozen food.

Wang Huaqing, an immunization specialist at the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on December 21 that the strategy would give China more time before the vaccine is approved and expand production to recover.

"For now, most Chinese people are still vulnerable to Covid-19. We want to prevent the risk through vaccination," Wang said.

However, to conduct widespread vaccination, authorities first need to have enough data from Phase Three human vaccine trials.

Although information on the Phase Three trial is limited, more than a million people in China have been vaccinated under the government's emergency use program.

At the San Yuan Li food market in Beijing, a butcher surnamed Feng said she was not really ready to get Covid-19 vaccine.

"The market management asked us to register for the vaccination, but I'm not sure about this," said Feng.

Crowded markets are believed to be at high risk of infection.

The variety of imported foods also makes Tam Nguyen Ly market a popular spot for foreigners.

"There are fewer foreigners coming to the market this year. On the other hand, because China controls its borders so tightly, most of the customers are those who have not left the country recently," said Feng.

But in central China, Zhu Junqiang, a sales manager at a frozen meat importer in Wuhan, the first city to discover nCoV, welcomes any means to help fight the pathogen.

"Our workers are tested for Covid-19 at least three times a month and they are all wearing protective gear, but that is not enough," said Zhu.

Zhu is well aware that China has not yet approved any vaccines for mass use, and that no peer-reviewed data on clinical trials have been released yet, but according to him, "

He hopes the authorities will provide the vaccine for free but is willing to pay about 200 yuan ($ 30.5) for a dose.