WHO approves Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, adding to COVAX arsenal

Geneva, May 10 (RHC)-- The World Health Organization approved China’s Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use.  WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom told reporters in Geneva: “This expands the list of vaccines that COVAX can buy, and gives countries confidence to expedite their own regulatory approval and to import and administer a vaccine.”

Sinopharm is the sixth vaccine to receive emergency use approval by the WHO.   In the United States, Pfizer is requesting full approval from the Food and Drug Administration for its vaccine for people 16 and older.  All three COVID vaccines currently in use in the U.S. have emergency use authorization. If successful, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine would be the first to be fully approved.