Sinopharm, CoronaVac to be assessed between April 26, May 3: WHO

GENEVA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese vaccines Sinopharm and CoronaVac (Sinovac) are on the final stage of evaluation by the Emergency Use Listing of the World Health Organization (WHO) and a "final decision" should be made between April 26 and May 3, a WHO official said in a press conference on Friday.

"We have convened the technical advisory group for a vaccine assessment for the 26th of April," said Rogerio Pinto de Sa Gaspar, director of regulation and prequalification, adding that "at least one of the two" could be evaluated on that date.

"If one of those cannot make it for the 26th of April, we are planning also to have another technical advisory group on the week of May 3rd," he continued.

"Between the two weeks, we expect that the final decision will be reached on the two vaccines," Gaspar said.

The Emergency Use Listing, WHO's internal procedure to assess unlicensed vaccines, is necessary for vaccines to be used under the COVAX Facility, a WHO-led initiative aimed at providing more equitable access to vaccines for low and middle-income countries.

Both Sinopharm and CoronaVac are being inoculated in China and many other countries.