COVID-19: China 'actively' seeking WHO approval for series of its coronavirus vaccines

An official from the Chinese Center for Disease Control on Friday said health authorities were "actively" seeking approval by the World Health Organization for a series of Chinese made vaccines. Last week, the WHO gave emergency use authorizations to China's Sinopharm - a first for a Chinese vaccine. 

Shao Yiming, a researcher for China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention in a news conference said a series of vaccines are in the process of applying for approval. "We are actively pushing forward this" Shao said. 
It is unclear how much data has been made available for regulators to evaluate the efficacy and safety for these other Chinese vaccines. 

For Sinopharm, the Chinese manufacturer has released very little public data about its two vaccines aside from efficacy numbers.
WHO's decision on Sinopharm, months in the making, was particularly complex because the vaccine has not faced the high-level scrutiny of a rigorous medicines regulator like those in Europe and the U.S. However, the decision by a WHO technical advisory group opens the possibility that Sinopharm's offering could be included in the U.N.-backed COVAX programme in coming weeks or months.

Chinese health officials also said China has identified imported coronavirus variants from the UK, South Africa, Brazil and India, and said it would strengthen controls on passenger travel from high risk countries, in particular India and other neighboring countries.

Image credits: AP/Pixabay

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