WHO has validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving countries, funders, procuring agencies and communities the assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing. The vaccine is produced by the Beijing-based pharmaceutical company Sinovac.
“The world desperately needs multiple COVID-19 vaccines to address the huge access inequity across the globe,” said Dr Mariângela Simão, WHO Assistant-Director General for Access to Health Products. “We urge manufacturers to participate in the COVAX Facility, share their knowhow and data and contribute to bringing the pandemic under control.”
Sinovac has said it has supplied more than 600 million doses of its vaccine at home and abroad by the end of May, with more than 430 million of those doses administered.
WHO’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL) is a prerequisite for COVAX Facility vaccine supply and international procurement. It also allows countries to expedite their own regulatory approval to import and administer COVID-19 vaccines.
The EUL assesses the quality, safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as risk management plans and programmatic suitability, such as cold chain requirements. The assessment is performed by the product evaluation group, composed by regulatory experts from around the world and a Technical Advisory Group (TAG), in charge of performing the risk-benefit assessment for an independent recommendation on whether a vaccine can be listed for emergency use and, if so, under which conditions.
In the case of the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine, the WHO assessment included on-site inspections of the production facility.
The Sinovac-CoronaVac product is an inactivated vaccine. Its easy storage requirements make it very manageable and particularly suitable for low-resource settings.
WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has also completed its review of the vaccine. On the basis of available evidence, WHO recommends the vaccine for use in adults 18 years and older, in a two-dose schedule with a spacing of two to four weeks. Vaccine efficacy results showed that the vaccine prevented symptomatic disease in 51% of those vaccinated and prevented severe COVID-19 and hospitalization in 100% of the studied population.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha gave assurances on Monday that vaccine deliveries would arrive on time and Thailand would not experience any shortages.
The pledge was made during an address to the House of Representatives as it kicked off its debate on the budget bill for the 2022 fiscal year ahead of the mass vaccination program due to start on June 7.
“The government continues to procure Covid-19 vaccines and has primary, secondary and emergency plans. I expect the delivery of the supplies to be made on schedule.
“The government has procured vaccines from Sinovac and AstraZeneca while an alternative vaccine [from Sinopharm] is being procured by Chulabhorn Royal Academy (CRA),” he said.
The President of the Private Hospital Association has said that the Moderna vaccine will not be available until October.
