The UN health agency said the single-dose CanSino vaccine was found to be about 92% effective against severe Covid-19 and 64% effective in preventing people from getting symptoms of the disease
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday granted an emergency use authorisation for Chinese manufacturer CanSinBIO’s Convidecia Covid-19 vaccine , the third Chinese vaccine to be granted such clearance.
“The vaccine meets WHO standards for protection against Covid-19 and… the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh risks,” the UN health agency said in a statement.
It was found to have 64% efficacy against symptomatic disease and 92% against severe Covid-19, the statement said.
Overall, this is the 11th vaccine to be authorised by the WHO for use against Covid-19.
“Today, the WHO issued an emergency use listing (EUL) for Convidecia, a vaccine manufactured by CanSino Biologics, China, adding to a growing portfolio of vaccines validated by WHO for the prevention of Covid-19 caused by Sars-CoV-2,” the statement said.
The vaccine was assessed under the WHO EUL procedure based on the review of data on quality, safety, efficacy, a risk management plan, programmatic suitability and a manufacturing site inspection conducted by WHO, according to the statement.
“The vaccine was also reviewed earlier this month by WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE), which formulates vaccine specific policies and recommendations for vaccines’ use in populations (i.e. recommended age groups, intervals between shots, specific groups such as pregnant and lactating women),” the statement said.
The SAGE recommends use of the vaccine as a single (0.5ml) dose, in all age groups 18 and above.
China has administered over 3.4 billion doses of vaccines among its population until now, official reports said.
“China has provided more than 2.2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine to over 120 countries and international organisations by Wednesday, most of which are developing countries,” official news agency Xinhua said in a report on May 11.
