China granted authorization to Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine Dec. 31, approving its first state-developed COVID-19 vaccine for use in the general public, CNN reported.
The approval comes one day after the drugmaker said its vaccine is 79.34 percent effective in preventing COVID-19, citing interim analysis of phase 3 clinical trials.
Chinese citizens will be provided free vaccinations, Zeng Yixin, vice minister of China's National Health Commission, said during a Dec. 31 news conference. The country is seeking to inoculate 50 million people with domestically developed COVID-19 vaccines before February's Lunar New Year festivities, according to CNN.