The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday approved a COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech for emergency use, the second China-made vaccine listed by the global body.
The announcement endorses the safety and efficacy of the product, which is branded as Coronavac in some countries, besides paving the way for the Chinese shot to be used in poor countries.
WHO today validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac #COVID19 vaccine for emergency use, giving countries, funders, procuring agencies & communities the assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing.
More ⬇️ https://t.co/Uy0xmGlAIT— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 1, 2021
It will also allow the vaccine to be included in COVAX, the global initiative launched to ensure provision of vaccines to poor countries.
The independent panel of experts has recommended the administration of two-dose Sinovac’s vaccine for people aged above 18. It also said that a second dose should be administered after 2-4 weeks.
Earlier, WHO has listed China-made Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use. It is already included in COVAX.
A third Chinese vaccine, produced by CanSino Biologics has submitted clinical trial data to the WHO, which will also review it later.
China has already administered hundreds of millions of jabs of both Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines at home, besides exporting them to other countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa regions.
According to the CGTN, the main Sinovac Biotech trials were held in Chile, Turkey, Indonesia and Brazil.
Results in Chile showed the vaccine provides significant protection against COVID-19 infection and is more effective in preventing severe cases.
Of those who were given the drug, 67 percent avoided symptomatic infection and it was 80 percent effective in limiting the number of deaths from the disease, according to a report released by Chile’s Ministry of Health.
In April, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) had approved China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.
The CoronaVac vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac has been given emergency use authorization for people aged 18 and above, said an official statement.
It is the third Chinese COVID-19 vaccine that was approved by the country after Sinopharm and CanSino vaccines.
Read more: https://pakobserver.net/pakvac-pakistan-rolls-out-locally-made-vaccine-against-covid-19/
