World Health Organisation approves emergency use of China’s Sinopharm vaccine

(Darko Vojinovic/PA)

The World Health Organisation has given authorisation for emergency use of a Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by China’s Sinopharm, potentially paving the way for millions of doses to reach needy countries through a UN-backed programme.

The decision by a WHO technical advisory group opens the possibility that the Sinopharm vaccine could be included in the UN-backed Covax programme in coming weeks or months, and distributed through Unicef and the WHO’s regional office in the Americas.