Philippines lauds WHO approval of China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine

MANILA, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines lauded on Wednesday the World Health Organization's (WHO's) approval of the CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech for emergency use, saying it will boost the vaccine confidence of Filipinos.

"Now, it's not only the Philippine's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) saying that the Sinovac vaccine is safe and effective, but also a United Nations agency is vouching for its safety and efficacy," Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

Philippine FDA approved the Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine for emergency use in February, paving the way for the delivery of the first batch of CoronaVac to the country, the first vaccine to reach the Philippines.

The Philippines kicked off the vaccination drive on March 1, a day after China donated the first batch of CoronaVac vaccines.

The Philippines has administered more than 5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of May 30, primarily to frontline healthcare workers, the elderly, and those with underlying medical conditions.

The country aims to vaccinate up to 70 million people this year, depending on the vaccine supply.

The Philippines has reported a total of 1,235,467 COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, including 21,012 deaths.