The government, however, delayed some vaccine deliveries late last year because of oversupply as hesitancy slowed the uptake.
A Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine was approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO) in May.
Clinical trial data demonstrated that it had lower efficacy against symptomatic disease than the vaccines developed by Pfizer.
The WHO recommended back in December that people who had received an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine like the ones made by Sinopharm, another Chinese manufacturer Sinovac Biotech, and India’s Bharat Biotech should receive a booster dose to protect against ebbing immunity.
Inactivated vaccines take the SARS-CoV-2 virus and inactivate or kill it using chemicals, heat, or radiation.
The vaccine is administered in two doses by intramuscular injection at an interval of two to four weeks, the regulator said in its Monday statement.
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The country has so far fully vaccinated about 42 percent of its adult population of nearly 40 million.
The government, however, delayed some vaccine deliveries late last year because of oversupply as hesitancy slowed the uptake.
A Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine was approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO) in May.
Clinical trial data demonstrated that it had lower efficacy against symptomatic disease than the vaccines developed by Pfizer.
The WHO recommended back in December that people who had received an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine like the ones made by Sinopharm, another Chinese manufacturer Sinovac Biotech, and India’s Bharat Biotech should receive a booster dose to protect against ebbing immunity.
Inactivated vaccines take the SARS-CoV-2 virus and inactivate or kill it using chemicals, heat, or radiation.
The vaccine is administered in two doses by intramuscular injection at an interval of two to four weeks, the regulator said in its Monday statement.
The country has so far fully vaccinated about 42 percent of its adult population of nearly 40 million.
