WHO GRANTS EMERGENCY AUTHORIZATION FOR 2ND CHINESE VACCINE

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday granted emergency approval to a second COVID-19 vaccine manufactured in China by the pharmaceutical firm Sinovac, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

According to the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE), the jab prevents COVID-19 symptoms in 51 percent of vaccinated people, much lower than the efficacy of the vaccines manufactured in Western countries.

Another vaccine by Chinese manufacturer Sinopharm was already authorized on May 7 by WHO. It also issued authorizations for emergency use for the COVID-19 vaccines by BioNTech/Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna.

Countries that don't have their own medical regulation authority often use the WHO decision as a benchmark to introduce a jab, while the United States and the European Union, for instance, have their own regulatory bodies for the matter.

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