WHO Approves China's COVID-19 Vaccine

 

A Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by the World Health Organisation on Thursday.

 

The vaccine was made by Chinese manufacturer CanSinoBIO and it is a single-shot COVID-19 vaccine, according to AFP.

 

It is the third Chinese-made vaccine to be approved by the WHO, after Sinovac and Sinopharm.

 

It was found to have 64 percent efficacy against symptomatic disease and 92 percent efficacy against severe Covid-19, the WHO said.

“The vaccine meets WHO standards for protection against Covid-19 and. The benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks,” the United Nations health agency said in a statement.

 

The WHO’s vaccine experts recommended it for people aged 18 and above.

 

The jab has already been rolled out in China, Argentina, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, and Pakistan.

 

The WHO has now given EUL status to nine COVID-19 vaccines which included the Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Janssen, Moderna, Sinovac, Sinopharm, and Bharat Biotech, Novavax, and now CanSinoBIO.

 

The UN health agency began reviewing rolling data on the CanSinoBIO vaccine in August.

 

The WHO says EUL approval gives countries, funders, procuring agencies, and communities assurance that the vaccine has met international standards.

 

WHO’s listing paves the way for countries to approve and import a vaccine for distribution quickly, especially those without an international-standard regulator of their own.

 

It also opens the door for the jabs to enter the Covax global vaccine-sharing facility, which aimed to provide equitable access to doses around the world, particularly in poorer countries.

 

China, the last major global economy sticking to a rigid zero-COVID policy, had been said to be battling an economic slump due to prolonged virus lockdowns that had constricted supply chains, quelled demand, and stalled manufacturing.