THE WORLD HEALTH Organisation (WHO) has given the green light to a second vaccine against Covid-19 developed in China.
The WHO has validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine for emergency use after determining that it met international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing.
It recommends that the vaccine can be used in adults over the age of 18 and given in two doses, two to four weeks apart.
“WHO today validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving countries, funders, procuring agencies and communities the assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing,” it said in a statement.
The vaccine is produced by Sinovac, a pharmaceutical company based in Beijing.
Before a vaccine is given emergency use listing status (EUL), it is assessed for its quality, safety and efficacy.
The Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine assessment included on-site inspections of the production favility.
Sinovac can be stored around two to eight degrees Celsius, similar to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Assistant Director General for Access to Health Products Dr Mariângela Simão said that the world “desperately needs multiple Covid-19 vaccines to address the huge access inequity across the globe”.
In May, the WHO approved the Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use, which was the first Covid-19 vaccine from China to be green lit.
The organisation has also approved six other vaccines, including the four in use in Ireland: Pizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Moderna.
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