WHO, last Friday, listed Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving the green light for this vaccine to be rolled out globally.

The Sinopharm vaccine is produced by Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of China National Biotec Group.

It is the first vaccine developed by a non-Western country to get the WHO backing.

The WHO decision for the approval was reached by independent experts in a technical advisory group under consultation with the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation.

The vaccine has already been given to millions of people in China and elsewhere.

Many say the listing is an encouraging development for the international community’s fight against COVID-19, especially amidst ongoing vaccine supply constraints.

Other Chinese vaccine developers such as Sinovac Biotech and CanSino Biologics have also applied for the WHO Emergency Use Listing and their respective application results are expected to follow soon.

Receiving the WHO EUL means the vaccines would have had to pass a stringent review of quality, safety, and efficacy and performance data, and be in compliance with manufacturing and quality management standards – an important step towards addressing the skepticism that have been expressed towards China’s COVID-19 vaccines.

According to the manufacturers, Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine (as well as Sinovac’s and CanSino’s) can be stored at normal refrigeration temperatures and does not require the ultra-cold storage often lacking in lower-income countries.

WHO recommends the vaccine for adults 18 years and older, in a two-dose schedule with a spacing of three to four weeks.

Alongside the ongoing export and donation of its COVID-19 vaccines, China had announced in February that it will contribute 10 million doses to COVAX, the main global initiative aimed at ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Although no further details on this had been released to date, as a prerequisite to be procured for the COVAX Facility’s vaccine supply, the WHO’s EUL received by Sinopharm – and potentially Sinovac and CanSino – many say, will allow China to provide its COVID-19 vaccine to COVAX.

WHO Regional Office for Africa says 41 countries in Africa have so far received 18.3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses through the COVAX initiative to tackle the pandemic.

WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said only 13.4 million of the 780 million COVID-19 vaccine shots administered globally were done in Africa.

Moeti said more efforts are needed to scale up COVID-19 vaccination in the African region, as many African countries have barely moved beyond the starting line.

“Only 1.9 percent of global COVID19 vaccine doses have been administered in Africa so far.The only way out of its pandemic is to recover together,” she said.

With the approval of Sinopharm vaccine, this has expanded the list of COVID-19 vaccines that COVAX can buy for countries in the African region especially with its cost effective storage nature.

The approval Sinopharm vaccine will no doubt improve Africa’s vaccination campaign that was slowed following Indian government’s decision to restrict exports of doses as it deals with its own outbreak.

Before the restriction by the Indian government, most nations were relying on vaccines produced by the Serum Institute factory in India.

Responding to the news, president of the Nigerian Medical Association , Prof. Innocent Ujah told PUNCH HealthWise in an interview that the approval means that more people will be vaccinated in Africa.

“It means that Africa will have access to more COVID-19 vaccines. Africa will have a better opportunity to vaccinate its populace. It is also time for African leaders to have the political will to invest in vaccine production.

“If China can do it, Africa can do it also. We must not continue to wait for other nations to produce COVID-19 vaccines for us. China is copying Europe, we can do same in Africa,” Ujah said.

Also speaking, Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, also said, “The approval of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine by the WHO is a positive thing for Africa.

“More countries in Africa are going to have access to the COVID-19 vaccine. More people are going to be vaccinated and when more people are vaccinated, we are going to have a herd immunity. We are also not going to have issues with its storage,” Adeyemo said.

source: Punch