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WHO approves Chinese Sinovac Covid19 vaccine for emergency use

World Health Organization has issued an emergency use listing for the Covid-19 vaccine made by Sinovac in adults aged 18 and over, the second such authorisation it has granted to a Chinese company.

In a statement Tuesday, the UN health agency said data submitted to its experts showed that two doses of the vaccine prevented people from getting symptoms of Covid-19 in about half of those who got the vaccine. WHO said there were few older adults enrolled in the research, so it could not estimate how effective the vaccine was in people over age 60.

Nevertheless, WHO is not recommending an upper age limit for the vaccine,” the agency said, adding that data collected from Sinovac’s use in other countries “suggest the vaccine is likely to have a protective effect in older persons.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that it has suspended Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir, which was touted as COVID-19 treatment, from its prequalification list—- an official list of medicines used as a benchmark for procurement by developing countries.

In an emailed response to news agency Reuters, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said,”Yes we have suspended it from the PQ (prequalification list). The suspension is a signal to countries that WHO, in compliance with the treatment guidelines, does not recommend countries procure the drug for COVID

Earlier on Friday, the WHO had warned that the antiviral drug remdesivir should not be used to treat COVID patients, no matter how ill they are as there is no evidence it works

A Covid-19 variant first identified in India last year has been classified by the World Health Organisation as a “variant of global concern” with some preliminary studies showing its increased transmissibility and resistance to vaccines.

The B.1.617 variant — first found in India — is the fourth to be classified by WHO as being of global concern. The other variants included those identified in Britain, South Africa, and Brazil.p

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on Covid-19, said on Monday: “We are classifying this as a variant of concern at a global level. There is some available information to suggest increased transmissibility.”