Vietnam approves China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use

HANOI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Health announced on Friday that it has approved China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.

Photo taken on June 1, 2021 shows vials of the Sinopharm vaccine in Beijing, capital of China. (Photo: Xinhua)

The approval was signed by Vietnam's deputy health minister Truong Quoc Cuong on Thursday, making the inactivated vaccine of Sinopharm the third COVID-19 vaccine approved by the country for emergency use, following the approvals of AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines.

Vietnam's National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology will be responsible for cooperating with vaccine manufacturers to ensure the production of the vaccine and its safety and quality, according to local media VnExpress.

The announcement came as the country is facing its worst wave of COVID-19 infections since late April. As of 6:00 a.m. local time Friday, Vietnam has reported 5,007 locally transmitted cases since April 27, taking the total number of local cases to 6,577, according to the Ministry of Health.

The Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine was validated by the World Health Organization in early May for emergency use.