The World Health Organization (WHO) has given emergency use authorization to the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by China’s Sinopharm.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the WHO gave Emergency Use Listing to Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine, making it the sixth vaccine to receive WHO validation for safety, efficacy and quality.
He added that this expands the list of COVID-19 vaccines that COVAX can buy, gives countries confidence to expedite their own regulatory approval and to import and administer a vaccine. The Sinopharm vaccine joins a list of WHO approved vaccines, which already includes Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna.
The WHO said the Sinopharm vaccine is also the first vaccine that will carry a vaccine vial monitor, a small sticker on the vaccine vials that changes color as the vaccine is exposed to heat, letting health workers know whether the vaccine can be used safely. The addition of this vaccine has the potential to rapidly accelerate COVID-19 vaccine access for countries seeking to protect health workers and populations at risk.
