158 Million Cases and China's Sinopharm Vaccine Gets WHO Approval

India is responsible for more than half of new cases yesterday – thereby ensuring the world speedily logging 158 million coronavirus cases in total. 

Stories from India's punishing second wave continue to dominate global news and social media feeds – people gasping to stay alive as they wait for critical care beds and treatment; desperate families scrambling for everything, from oxygen cylinders to a doctor's appointment; mass funeral pyres and parking lots turning into crematoriums to accommodate the rising number of dead. 

Coverage the world over has pinned the blame on its prime minister Narendra Modi (right) – a man who has often presented himself as an able administrator with an eye for detail, who is now floundering as India's daily cases break records. 

It’s Modi’s fault alright, that's for sure! Arrogance, callousness, hyper-nationalism and bureaucratic incompetence have all combined to create a crisis of epic proportions. And Indian citizens are paying a heavy price.

On Friday, the World Health Organization approved China's Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use – the first Chinese vaccine to achieve such a certification. Better late than never, I suppose.

Although already used widely around the world, the approval clears the way for it to be used in the COVAX vaccine sharing program for developing countries, streamlines its approval within the European Union and also clears obstacles for those who have been vaccinated with it to participate in the EU's vaccine passport scheme. 

Without a doubt, Sinopharm is a lifeline to nations without easy access to Western vaccines.

The approval of Sinopharm is arguably a game changer not so much for China, but very much for the rest of the world. Never have the international community needed access to vaccines so urgently, especially when new and dangerous variants are constantly evolving.