Middle EastWHO approves Sinopharm vaccine in potential boost to COVAX pipeline Stephanie Nebehay 5 minute read The World Health Organization (WHO) approved for emergency use a COVID-19 vaccine from China's state-owned drugmaker Sinopharm on Friday, bolstering Beijing's push for a bigger role in inoculating the world. The vaccine, one of two main Chinese coronavirus vaccines that have been given to hundreds of millions of people in China and elsewhere, is the first developed by a non-Western country to win WHO backing. It is also the first time the WHO has given emergency use approval to a Chinese vaccine for any infectious disease. Earlier this week, separate WHO experts had expressed concern about the quality of data the company provided on side effects. read more