China approved its first COVID-19 vaccine for general public use on Thursday, one that is developed by an affiliate of state-backed pharmaceutical company Sinopharm.

While no detailed efficacy data has been publicly released for the vaccine, the developer, Beijing Biological Products Institute, a unit of Sinopharm subsidiary China National Biotec Group (CNBG), has stated that the vaccine was 79.34% effective in preventing people from developing the disease based on interim data. Though China has been slower than several other countries in approving COVID-19 vaccines, the country has been vaccinating some of its people for months with three different shots still undergoing late-stage trials… (Reuters, December 31, 2020)