This article is reviewed regularly (on a monthly basis) by Wego’s editorial team to ensure that the content is up to date & accurate. 

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.

Vietnam

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.

United States

The other vaccines recognised in the country are Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Covishield, and Sinovac.