WHO authorises emergency use of Chinese vaccine

Muscat: The World Health Organisation (WHO), has authorised on Tuesday the emergency use of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine against COVID-19.

"The Committee of Vaccine Experts in WHO recommended the use of this vaccine, which is given in two doses, separated by a period of two to four weeks, for all over the age of 18," Oman News Agency (ONA) said in a statement.

ONA confirmed that Sinovac vaccine is the second Chinese vaccine to be approved by the WHO , which allows it to be included in the COVAX international platform for distributing vaccines to the countries most in need.The WHO has previously approved the use of the Sinopharm vaccine manufactured in Beijing on the 7th of last May.

The effectiveness of Sinovac is 51 per cent for avoiding infection with Covid symptoms, but it is 100 per cent at avoiding more serious infections that require hospitalisation, according to the WHO.

The organisation explained that the vaccine is easy to store, which makes it easy to use and is especially suitable for countries with limited resources.