[Throwawayaerlei]

"not going out and getting better vaccines for narcissistic reasons"

Not narcissism but the loss of face, which also means a loss of power. Which is the only thing Communists care about; compared to that the loss of a few million lives is nothing unless that also brings about a loss of power.

[Nomentatus]

Narcissism is caring about how you appear (to others)- remember he's looking at himself reflected in the lake? It's caring about appearances and others opinions. That's face, precisely.

Selfishness is a different word entirely.

Also, Chinese culture has always cared immensely about face; the CCP not only didn't invent that, they've toned it down a bit (not much.)