The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday approved Sinovac's Chinese vaccine for emergency use.

"Today, I am pleased to announce that the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine has entered the WHO emergency use list after being found to be safe, effective and quality assured after two doses of the inactivated vaccine," said Tedros Adhanom, WHO Director-General.

The independent panel of experts said in a statement, quoted by the Reuters news agency, that it recommended the Sinovac vaccine for adults over the age of 18, with a second dose two to four weeks later. No upper age limit was given, as data suggest that the vaccine has efficacy in older people.

It is the second drug developed in China to enter the WHO list of approved Covid-19 vaccines, following the May 7 approval of Sinopharm's vaccine.

Besides these two the WHO has already approved five more vaccines, including the four already approved in Europe (Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Janssen) and an Indian vaccine, from the Serum Institute of India, the Covishield. This makes a total of seven vaccines approved by the institution.