WHO gave green light the second Chinese vaccine Sinovac

The World Health Organization gave the Chinese coronavirus vaccine Sinovac green light for emergency use. It is the second Chinese vaccine to receive the WHO’s approval.

Furthermore, the UN health agency signed off on a two-dose vaccine CoronaVac, developed by the Beijing-based firm. Several countries are already using this vaccine.

According to the WHO, the emergency use listing (EUL) gives countries, communities, funders, and procuring agencies assurance that the vaccine has met international standards. The WHO approved another Chinese vaccine Sinopharm last month.

On Tuesday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that they gave the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine WHO emergency use listing after ensuring that it is safe, effective, and high-quality. He added that CoronaVac is very suitable for low-resource settings due to its easy storage requirements.

The organization has also given EUL status to several other vaccines, including Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca. WHO’s listing helps countries worldwide to approve and import a vaccine for distribution easily. Some states and countries don’t have an international-standard regulator of their own, and they depend on the WHO’s estimations.

The organization also allows the jabs to enter the Covax global vaccine-sharing facility. The latter aims to provide equitable access to doses worldwide, particularly in poorer countries. Currently, only Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs are flowing through the scheme.

The WHO asks manufacturers to enter into Covax 

Mariangela Simao, the WHO’s assistant director-general for access to health products, noted that the world desperately needs multiple coronavirus vaccines. There is a huge access inequity across the globe currently. That’s why the organization urges manufacturers to participate in the Covax facility.

The agency also noted that it recommends this Chinese vaccine for use in adults 18 years and older, in a two-dose schedule with a spacing of two to four weeks.

Vaccine efficacy results showed that Sinovac prevented symptomatic disease in 51 percent of those vaccinated. It also prevented severe coronavirus and hospitalization in 100 percent of the studied population.