WHO endorses China’s Sinopharm vaccine

The World Health Organization (WHO) approved the use of a COVID-19 vaccine from China's state-owned drugmaker Sinopharm on Friday, says it will rapidly accelerate the vaccine access for countries’ in the developing world.

The decision to approve Sinopharm's vaccine was taken by WHO's technical advisory group.

"The vaccine will contribute more Chinese power to the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic," Sinopharm said in a social media statement.

Under a joint venture between Sinopharm and Abu Dhabi-based technology company Group 42 (G42), the UAE has supplied 200 m doses of the vaccine manufactured at home under the name Hayat-Vax, to be the first approved vaccine in the Arab world.

The joint venture also includes a purpose-built research and development hub for life sciences, biotechnology and vaccine production in KIZAD.

The UAE approved the vaccine for frontline workers in September before making it available to the general public in December.

The WHO had already given approval to COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and, last week, Moderna.