WHO validates China’s Convidecia as 11th vaccine for COVID-19

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) - The World Health Organization on Thursday approved Convidecia, a vaccine manufactured by China’s CanSino Biologics, as the 11th approved vaccine to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In a statement, the UN health agency said Convidecia was assessed under its emergency use listing procedure, based on the review of data on quality, safety, efficacy, a risk management plan, programmatic suitability and a manufacturing site inspection.

“The Technical Advisory Group for Emergency Use Listing, convened by WHO and made up of regulatory experts from around the world, has determined that the vaccine meets the WHO standards for protection against COVID-19 and that the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh risks,” the press release said.

It added that the single-dose vaccine was also reviewed by WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), which has recommended its use in all age groups 18 and above.

"CONVIDECIA was found to have 64% efficacy against symptomatic disease and 92% against severe COVID-19," the WHO said.

Other COVID-19 vaccines approved by the global health body are AstraZeneca/Oxford, Johnson and Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, Sinopharm, Sinovac, Covaxin, Covishield, Covovax, and Nuvaxovid.