The World Health Organization approved the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use on Tuesday – China’s second strike to receive a green light from the WHO.
The UN health agency has signed off on the two-dose vaccine, which has been introduced in several countries around the world, including Pakistan.
“WHO today approved the Sinovac-CoronaVac Covid-19 vaccine for emergencies,” the statement said.
The move gives countries, funding agencies, suppliers and the community “confidence that it meets international standards for safety, efficiency and production”. Sinopharm became the first Chinese vaccine to be approved by the WHO last month.
The organization has also provided emergency lists of vaccines manufactured by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca jab, manufactured in India, South Korea and the European Union and calculated separately.
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Currently, only AstraZeneca and some Pfizer jabs are in the program.
“The world urgently needs a large number of Covid-19 vaccines to address the huge inequality of access around the world,” said Mariangela Simao, WHO deputy director general for access to health products.
“We encourage manufacturers to join the Covax system, share their knowledge and data, and help with the pandemic..” The Sinovac offensive is already in action in 22 regions around the world, according to the AFP census.
Countries that use Sinovac include China, Chile, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand and Turkey. The WHO Strategic Advisory Immunization Expert Group has reviewed stroke and published recommendations for its use.
