The World Health Organization on May 7 authorised China’s Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, making it the sixth vaccine to receive clearance from the global health agency. The authorization will allow COVAX, the WHO's initiative to equitably develop and distribute coronavirus vaccines, to purchase Sinopharm's vaccine and bolster its supply, according to the New York Times. Sinopharm is the first Chinese vaccine to be classified as safe and effective by the WHO, though the company has not released Phase 3 clinical trial data for scientists to independently assess. The WHO received the results of the trial before the authorisation of Sinopharm's vaccine, which is owned by the Chinese government. Reuters reported that some WHO experts voiced "very low confidence" in data regarding the risks of side effects associated with the vaccine, but overall confidence in its efficacy.
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