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Reviewed 26 November 2021
The Chinese Sinopharm vaccine has been one of the front-runners from the start of the COVID-19 vaccine race. By now, it has been approved in over 70 countries and is being distributed across the globe. It has also come to the aid of several low and middle-income countries through the COVAX agreement.
Keep reading to find out where the Sinopharm vaccine has been approved.
About Sinopharm
The Sinopharm vaccine is produced by Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd, a subsidiary of China National Biotec Group (CNBG).
Sinopharm relies on the older but tested inactivated virus technology, which involves taking dead coronavirus and injecting them into the body. The process essentially forces the body to produce antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Once vaccinated, the immune system will be able to respond to an infection of live coronaviruses. Antibodies can stick to and prevent the invading virus from entering the cells in the body.
Based on the available data, the Sinopharm vaccine is reported to have 100 per cent protection from moderate and severe forms of Covid-19. Its overall efficacy rate is 86 per cent. The side effects associated with vaccination in volunteers include pain at the injection site, headache, high temperature or fatigue.
WHO Approval
Sinopharm got the WHO’s approval on 7 May 2021 for emergency use, giving the green light for this vaccine to be rolled out globally.
WHO recommends the vaccine for adults 18 years and older, in a two-dose schedule with a spacing of three to four weeks. Vaccine efficacy for symptomatic and hospitalized disease was estimated to be 79%, all age groups combined.
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 criteria of safety, efficacy and quality. 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.
For COVID-19 vaccines, the UN’s health branch has set the bar for minimum efficacy at 50% in its considerations for evaluation of COVID-19 vaccines. So far, 8 vaccines are approved for use by WHO:
- Pfizer/BioNTech: Comirnaty
- Oxford/AstraZeneca: Vaxzevria
- Johnson & Johnson: Ad26.COV2.S
- Moderna: mRNA-1273
- Sinopharm: BBIBP-CorV
- Sinovac: CoronaVac
- Covishield: Oxford/ AstraZeneca formulation
- Covaxin: Bharath Biotech
Sinopharm approved countries
According to the WHO, the following countries have approved the use of Sinopharm.
Algeria
The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik V, Oxford/AstraZeneca, Sinovac.
Angola
The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik V, Sputnik Light, and AstraZeneca.
Argentina
The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, Moderna, Sinovac, CanSino, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, and Covishield.
Bahrain
The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, Sputnik V, Sputnik Light, Janssen, and Covishield.
Bangladesh
The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, Sputnik V, Janssen, Covishield, and Sinovac.
Belarus
The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik V and Sputnik Light.
Belize
The other vaccine approved in the country is AstraZeneca.
Bolivia
The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik V, Pfizer, Janssen and Covishield.
Brazil
The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, Sputnik V, Janssen, AstraZeneca, Covishield, and Sinovac.
Brunei
The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca.
Cambodia
The other vaccines approved in the country are AstraZeneca and Sinovac.
Cameroon
The other vaccine approved in the country is Sputnik V.
Chad
Sinopharm is the only vaccine approved in the country.
China
The other vaccines approved in the country are RBD-Dimer, CanSino, SARS-Cov-2 Vaccine (Vero Cells), Sinovac and Sinopharm (Wuhan) Inactivated (Vero Cells).
Comoros
Sinopharm is the only vaccine approved in the country.
Cuba
The other vaccine approved in the country is Abdala.
Egypt
The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, Sputnik Light, Janssen, Covishield, and Sinovac.
Equatorial Guinea
Sinopharm is the only vaccine approved in the country.
Gabon
The other vaccine approved in the country is Sputnik V.
The Gambia
The other vaccine approved in the country is AstraZeneca.
Georgia
The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac.
Guyana
The other vaccines approved in the country are AstraZeneca, Covaxin, and Sputnik V.
Hungary
The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, CanSino, Sputnik V, Janssen, AstraZeneca, and Covishield.
Indonesia
The other vaccines approved in the country are CanSino, Sputnik V, Janssen, Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sinovac and ZF2001.
Iran
The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik Light, Janssen, Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, Covaxin, Shifa Pharmed Industrial’s COVID-19 inactivated vaccine, and COVAX-19.
Iraq
The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik V, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca.
Jordan
The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik V, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca.
Kenya
The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, Janssen, Sputnik V, Moderna, and AstraZeneca.
Kyrgyzstan
The other vaccines approved in the country are QazVac, Sputnik V, and Sputnik Light.
Laos
The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik V and Sinovac.
Lebanon
The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, Sputnik V, and Covishield.
Malaysia
The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, CanSino, Janssen, AstraZeneca and Sinovac.
Maldives
The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, Covishield, Janssen, and Sputnik V.
Mauritania
Sinopharm is the only vaccine approved in the country.
Mauritius
The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik V, Sputnik Light, AstraZeneca, and Covaxin.
Mexico
The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Janssen, Covaxin, Sinovac and CanSino.
Mongolia
The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, Moderna, Sputnik V, Sputnik Light, and AstraZeneca.
Montenegro
The other vaccine approved in the country is Sputnik.
Morocco
The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, and Covishield.
Mozambique
Sinopharm is the only vaccine approved in the country.
Namibia
The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik V and Covishield.
Nepal
The other vaccines approved in the country are Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik V, and Sinovac.
Niger
The other vaccine approved in the country is AstraZeneca.
Nigeria
The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, Sputnik V, Janssen, AstraZeneca and Covishield.
North Macedonia
The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, Sputnik V, and AstraZeneca.
Oman
The other vaccines approved are Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, AstraZeneca / Covishield, Johnson & Johnson, Sinovac, Moderna, Sputnik V and Covaxin.
Pakistan
The other vaccines approved in the country are CanSino, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Sputnik V, and Sinovac.
Papua New Guinea
The other vaccines approved in the country are AstraZeneca and Janssen.
Paraguay
The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, Covaxin, and Sinovac.
Peru
The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, Janssen and AstraZeneca.
Philippines
The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Janssen, Sputnik V, Sputnik Light, Covaxin, Sinovac, and Sinopharm (Wuhan) Inactivated (Vero Cells).
Republic of the Congo
The other vaccine approved in the country is Sputnik V and Sputnik Light.
Senegal
The other vaccine approved in the country is AstraZeneca and Janssen.
Serbia
The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, Sputnik V, and AstraZeneca.
Seychelles
The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Sputnik V, and Covishield.
Sierra Leone
The other vaccine approved in the country is AstraZeneca.
Solomon Islands
The other vaccine approved in the country is Covishield.
Somalia
The other vaccine approved in the country is Covishield.
Sri Lanka
The other vaccines approved in the country are Covishield, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Sinovac, and Sputnik V.
Thailand
The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, Janssen, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac.
Trinidad and Tobago
The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer and Covishield.
Tunisia
The other vaccines approved in the country are Pfizer, Sputnik V, Janssen, AstraZeneca and Sinovac.
United Kingdom
The other vaccines approved in the country are Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna, Janssen, Sinovac, Covaxin.
United Arab Emirates
The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, and Sputnik Light.
Vanuatu
The other vaccine approved in the country is AstraZeneca.
Venezuela
The other vaccines approved in the country are Sputnik V, CIGB-66 vaccine and Sputnik Light.
The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, CIGB-66 vaccine, Pfizer, Janssen, AstraZeneca and Sputnik V.
Westbank
The other vaccines approved in the country are Moderna, Pfizer, Janssen, Sputnik Light and Sputnik V.
Zimbabwe
The other vaccines approved in the country are Janssen, Sputnik V, Covaxin, and Sinovac.
Approved as valid proof of vaccination
The following are a list of countries that recognise the Sinopharm vaccine as valid proof of vaccination:
Austria
The other vaccines recognised are Pfizer/BioNTech, Vaxzevria – AstraZeneca, Covishield, Janssen, Moderna, and Sinovac.
Australia
The other vaccines recognised are Pfizer, Vaxzevria-AstraZeneca, Covishield, Moderna, Janssen, Sinovac and Covaxin
Cyprus
The other vaccines recognised are Pfizer/BioNTech, Vaxzevria – AstraZeneca, Covishield, Janssen, Moderna, and Sinovac.
Canada
The country has stated that the Sinopharm vaccine will be recognised as valid proof of vaccination starting November 30 2021. The other vaccines recognised are Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson, Sinovac (starting November 30) and Covaxin (starting November 30).
Finland
The other vaccines recognised are Pfizer/BioNTech, Oxford/AstraZeneca, Covishield, Janssen, Moderna and Covaxin.
Greece
The other vaccines recognised are Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sinovac, Covishield, Novavax, Sputnik V, Cansino Biologics
Iceland
The other vaccines recognised are Pfizer/BioNTech, Vaxzevria – AstraZeneca, AstraZeneca/SK Bio, Covishield, Janssen, Moderna, Sinovac
Netherlands
The other vaccines recognised are Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca-SK Bio (Vaxzevria), AstraZeneca EU (Vaxzevria), Covishield, Janssen, Moderna, and Sinovac.
Spain
The other vaccines recognised are Pfizer/BioNTech, Vaxzevria – AstraZeneca, AstraZeneca/SK Bio, Covishield, Janssen, Moderna and Sinovac.
Sweden
The other vaccines recognised are Pfizer/BioNTech, Vaxzevria – AstraZeneca, AstraZeneca/SK Bio, Covishield, Janssen, Moderna and Sinovac.
Switzerland
The other vaccines recognised are Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Vaxzevria, Janssen, Covishield, and Sinovac.
The other vaccines recognised in the country are Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Covishield, and Sinovac.
