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The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Sinovac vaccine against Covid-19 for emergency use and issued interim policy recommendations on its administration.
Oman received 100,000 units of Sinovac vaccines as a gift from China last month and is all set to give them to the people of Oman and the Chinese citizens in the country.
Earlier, the Sultanate had received 100,000 doses of Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine as a gift from India which Serum Institute of India manufactures.
The WHO validation of the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine for emergency use also gives countries, funders, procuring agencies and communities the assurance that Sinovac 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,” Dr Mariangela Simao, WHO Assistant-Director General for Access to Health Products, said, adding that all manufacturers should participate in the COVAX facility, share their knowhow and data and contribute to bringing the pandemic under control.
The Emergency Use Listing (EUL) assesses the quality, safety, and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines and 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.
China has successfully provided vaccine assistance to more than 80 countries and exported vaccines to more than 50 countries. The international community, including the WHO, have recognised the safety and effectiveness of Chinese vaccines.
The Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine's 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.
The emergency use listing (EUL) procedure assesses the suitability of novel health products during public health emergencies. The objective is to make medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics available as rapidly as possible to address the emergency while adhering to stringent safety, efficacy, and quality standards. The assessment weighs the threat posed by the emergency as well as the benefit that would accrue from the use of the product against any potential risks.
Pfizer/BioNTech, Astrazeneca-SK Bio, Serum Institute of India, Astra Zeneca EU, Janssen, Moderna and Sinopharm are other vaccines that the WHO has already listed the for emergency use.
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