"WHO today validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving countries, funders, procuring agencies and communities the assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing. The vaccine is produced by the Beijing-based pharmaceutical company Sinovac," the WHO has said in a statement.
In February 2021, the National Medical Products Administration in China approved the coronavirus vaccine developed by Beijing Kexing Zhongwei Biotechnology for all groups of people.
Sinovac started developing its vaccine back in January 2020, immediately after the outbreak of the then-unknown pneumonia disease. The vaccine was approved for Phase III clinical trials in Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey and Chile, and the Phase I and II trials' results in China showed that the vaccine is capable of inducing antibodies in more than 90 percent of volunteers who received two doses.
