Daily US Times: The World Health Organization (WHO) has granted emergency approval for the Chinese Covid vaccine made by Sinopharm.
The vaccine is the first vaccine developed by a non-Western country to get WHO backing.
The Covid-19 vaccine has already been given to millions in China and elsewhere.
The WHO had previously only approved the Covid-19 vaccines made by AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna.
But individual health regulators in various countries – especially poorer ones in Latin America, Africa and Asia – have approved Chinese jabs for emergency use.
With little data released internationally early on, the effectiveness of the various Chinese Covid-19 vaccines has long been uncertain.
But on Friday, WHO said it had validated the “safety, efficacy and quality” of the Sinopharm jab.
The WHO said the addition of the vaccine, made by Chinese state-owned company Sinopharm, had “the potential to rapidly accelerate Covid-19 vaccine access for countries seeking to protect health workers and populations at risk”.
The global health body recommending that the vaccine be administered in two doses to those aged 18 and over.
A decision is expected in the coming days on another Chinese Covid vaccine developed by Sinovac, while Russia’s Sputnik vaccine is under assessment.
The green light from the WHO is a guideline for national regulators that a vaccine is effective and safe.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said it would give countries “confidence to expedite their own regulatory approval”.
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