The World Health Organization (WHO) has granted emergency approval for the Covid vaccine made by Chinese firm Sinopharm, writes BBC.

It is the first vaccine developed by a non-Western country to get WHO backing.

China has already vaccinated millions of people at home and in 45 other countries.

With little data released internationally early on, the effectiveness of the various Chinese vaccines has long been uncertain.

Brazilian trials of another vaccine, Sinovac, for instance, showed an efficacy rate of around 50.4%, which is barely over the 50% threshold needed for approval by the WHO. Other trials in Turkey and Indonesia have indicated a higher efficacy rate though.

The WHO said the addition of the Sinopharm vaccine had “the potential to rapidly accelerate COVID-19 vaccine access for countries seeking to protect health workers and populations at risk”.

It is recommending that the vaccine be administered in two doses to those aged 18 and over.