New Telegraph

WHO endorses Chinese vaccine, Sinopharm, for emergency use

The World Health Organisation (WHO), has, for the first time, approved a COVID-19 vaccine produced in China, Sinopharm, for emergency use.The approval signifies that the Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine has met the quality, safety efficacy and performance data standards of the WHO, considering the skepticism that has trailed China’s COVID- 19 vaccines.

The vaccine, developed by Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products Co-Ltd (BBIBP) under the China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation (Sinopharm), got the approval ahead of other Chinese vaccine developers such as Sinovac Biotech and Can- Sino Biologics, who have also applied for the WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) and expecting their application results.

Unlike the Pfizer and other vaccines which needs to be stored in ultra-cold storage facilities, Sinopharm and the yet-to-be-approved Sinovac’s and CanSino’s COVID-19 vaccines, have been considered ideal for low and middle income countries, given their capacity to be stored in a normal refrigerator temperature. Considering the recent constraints of accessing vaccines, Sinopharm has been considered as an encouraging development for the international community’s fight against COVID-19 pandemic. Recall that China had earlier announced in February, her intention to contribute 10 million vaccine doses to COVAX, in order to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. If Sinovac and CanSino’s applications scales through as Sinopharm, China would be able to provide its COVID- 19 vaccine to COVAX, which invariably would be made available to low and middle income countries struggling to vaccinate their populations.

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