WHO's approval bolsters global confidence in Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine: Chilean minister

SANTIAGO, June 1 (Xinhua) -- The approval of the CoronaVac vaccine for emergency use bolsters confidence in the vaccine worldwide, Chile's Deputy Health Minister Paula Daza said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the World Health Organization (WHO) validated the CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac for emergency use.

"The fact that the WHO approves a vaccine such as Sinovac's allows us to offer more confidence worldwide of a vaccine that we know is very effective, due to the studies we have been doing," Daza said, describing the WHO announcement as "very positive" news and referring to the vaccine's trials carried out in Chile and the results submitted to the WHO.

Extensive trials have shown "in real time and among the real population, the vaccine's effectiveness on infections, on hospitalized patients and, obviously, on deaths," said Daza in a press conference.

"The study carried out in Chile contributed in a positive way to this outcome," she said.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Enrique Paris said the CoronaVac vaccine was the vaccine "most widely" applied in Chile.

"We are very happy that the World Health Organization has given it emergency-use approval," he said in a video posted on the ministry's social media account.

Chile has vaccinated 10,676,196 people to date, including 8,005,987 who have received both doses.

According to the Ministry of Health, the country has registered 1,389,357 COVID-19 cases and 29,344 deaths from the disease.