World Health Organization approves China’s Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine for emergency use
The Chinese vaccine can now contribute to COVAX, an system that provides COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries. (
Xinhua via AP: Zhang Yuwei)
The World Health Organization has approved a COVID-19 vaccine from China’s state-owned drug maker Sinopharm for emergency use, a boost to Beijing’s push for a big role in inoculating the world.
Key points:
- It is the first Chinese vaccine to be given emergency approval by the WHO for any disease
- A group of experts say the Sinopharm vaccine is 78.1 per cent effective after two doses
- The WHO says it will be added to the COVAX scheme for poorer countries to access
The vaccine, one of two main Chinese coronavirus vaccines that collectively have already been given to hundreds of millions of people in China and elsewhere, is the first developed by a non-western country to win WHO backing.
It is also the first time the WHO has given emergency use approval to a Chinese vaccine for any infectious disease.
A WHO emergency listing is a signal to national regulators that a product is safe and effective.
It also allows it to be included in COVAX, a global program to provide vaccines mainly for poor countries, which has hit supply problems.
