WHO approves China's Sinopharm vaccine

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday approved the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use – the first Chinese jab to receive WHO’s green light.

- SHEILA CRISOSTOMO and JANVIC MATEO

The UN health agency signed off on the two-dose vaccine, which is already being deployed in dozens of countries around the world.

The WHO has already given emergency use listing (EUL) to the vaccines being made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and the AstraZeneca jab being produced at sites in India and in South Korea, which it counts separately.

“This afternoon, WHO gave emergency use listing to Sinopharm Beijing’s COVID-19 vaccine, making it the sixth vaccine to receive WHO validation for safety, efficacy and quality,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference.

“The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, or SAGE, has also reviewed the available data and recommends the vaccine for adults 18 years and older, with a two-dose schedule.”

An emergency use listing by the WHO paves the way for countries worldwide to quickly approve and import a vaccine for distribution, especially those states without an international-standard regulator of their own.

It also opens the door for the jabs to enter the COVAX global vaccine-sharing scheme, which aims to provide equitable access to doses around the world and particularly in poorer countries.

COVAX call

“The addition of this vaccine has the potential to rapidly accelerate COVID-19 vaccine access for countries seeking to protect health workers and populations at risk,” said Mariangela Simao, WHO’s assistant director general for access to health products.

“We urge the manufacturer to participate in the COVAX Facility and contribute to the goal of more equitable vaccine distribution.”