The UN health body has now approved two Chinese coronavirus vaccines for emergency use. A few weeks ago, in early May, the WHO gave the Sinopharm vaccine a green signal for emergency usage and now Sinovac-CoronaVac has become the second approved Chinese vaccine making 1st June a monumental day for the Chinese pharmaceutical industry.

This news was announced by the World Health Organization chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a virtual media update today. WHO Chief said:

Today, I’m happy to announce that the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine has been given WHO Emergency Use Listing after being found to be safe, effective, and quality assured following two doses of the inactivated vaccine.

It must be noted that the WHO’s Emergency Use Listing assesses the quality, safety, and efficacy of coronavirus vaccines, as well as risk management plans and programmatic suitability, such as cold chain requirements.

Other global vaccines that have been validated by the esteemed global health organization include the Pfizer/BioNTech, Astrazeneca-SK Bio, Serum Institute of India, Astra Zeneca EU, Janssen, Moderna, and Sinopharm.

Tedros further said:

There is still a lot of work to do to end the COVID-19 pandemic. While we’re encouraged that cases and deaths are continuing to decline in many areas globally, there is no room for complacency. Through public health measures and vaccines, we have the means to end the COVID-19 pandemic quickly & save countless lives & livelihoods, but we need the will to make it happen. They say where there's a will there’s a way. We know the way; the question is, do we have the will?

Furthermore, the WHO Chief reiterated the significance of effectively containing the spread of coronavirus and especially focused on the equitable widespread distribution of coronavirus vaccines across the globe. He stated:

The consistent use of public health measures, in combination with equitable access to medical supplies, oxygen, tests, treatments, and vaccines, remains critical.

Sinovac's approval is great news for Pakistan as it is one of the few countries already vaccinating thousands of people daily with the Chinese jab.

(FYI: The period between the first and second doses of SV is 4 weeks while it's 3 weeks for the Sinopharm vaccine.)