DUSHANBE, 02.06.2021 (NIAT Khovar) – The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the Chinese Sinovac coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in the world. This was announced yesterday by the WHO headquarters in Geneva.

“WHO today approved the Sinovac-CoronaVac emergency vaccine against COVID-19, providing assurances to countries, foundations, procurement agencies and communities that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and production,” it said.

This vaccine is manufactured by Sinovac, a pharmaceutical company based in Beijing. “We urge the manufacturer to participate in the COVAX Facility and contribute to the goal of more equitable vaccine distribution,” said WHO Assistant Director-General Mariangela Simao.

Yesterday, the head of the Department of Sanitary and Epidemiological Safety, Emergencies and Emergency Medical Aid of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population Navruz Jafarov said that Tajikistan expects China to supply 300,000 doses of CoronaVac vaccine as humanitarian aid. The conditions for the vaccine transportation are currently being worked out.

According to Jafarov, 300,000 doses are provided for the vaccination of 150,000 people in two stages.

The inclusion of a vaccine on the WHO Emergency Drug List is a precondition for international procurement and supply through COVAX. Additionally, it provides an opportunity for countries to speed up their internal procedures for approving the import and use of vaccines against COVID-19, the WHO explained.

The organization attaches great importance to the COVAX mechanism. Under the terms of the program, high-income countries pay for vaccines for low-income countries per capita.

To date, the WHO list of emergency use includes six drugs: the vaccine of the Chinese company Sinopharm, the Comirnaty vaccine, developed jointly by US Pfizer and German BioNTech, the drug from Janssen, which is a division of the American Johnson & Johnson, the vaccine of the American company Moderna, and also two variants of the vaccine of the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.

According to Jafarov, the procurement plan for vaccines produced by India has changed due to the current epidemiological situation, and the World Health Organization is currently conducting additional negotiations with other manufacturers to resolve this issue.

“Since March 23, more than 80,000 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in Tajikistan, and this process continues in accordance with the previously approved plan. Currently, the AstraZeneca vaccine is used for immunization. Considering the availability of 192,000 doses of the vaccine, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population has decided to use this amount in two stages,” he added.

“Since March 23, more than 80,000 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in Tajikistan, and this process continues in accordance with the previously approved plan. Currently, the AstraZeneca vaccine is used for immunization. Considering the availability of 192,000 doses of the vaccine, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population has decided to use this amount in two stages,” he added.

Previously Russian FM Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference after talks with his Tajik counterpart in Dushanbe that the parties discussed a joint fight against coronavirus. He said that at the meeting the issue of supplying the Russian Sputnik V vaccine to Tajikistan on a gratuitous basis was being resolved.

Lavrov added that this was previously agreed upon by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.