WHO approves China’s Sinovac Covid jab

GENEVA, (AFP) 1 June 2021 -  The World Health Organization on Tuesday approved the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use -- the second Chinese jab to receive the WHO’s green light.   

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

 “WHO today validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use,” it said in a statement.   
The move gives countries, funders, procuring agencies and communities “assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing”.   

Last month Sinopharm became the first Chinese vaccine to be approved by the WHO.   
The organisation has also given emergency use listing to vaccines being made by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and the AstraZeneca jab being produced in India, South Korea and the EU, which it counts separately.   

WHO’s listing 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.