Colombia announces emergency use of Sinovac vaccines

BOGOTA - Colombian President Ivan Duque announced on Wednesday that the country's National Food and Drug Surveillance Institute has authorized the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech.

The approval was made following experts' evaluation of the vaccines, Duque said during a daily television program on COVID-19.

According to the Colombian government, the country will launch a mass vaccination campaign against the COVID-19 pandemic on Feb. 20.

Colombia has registered 2,125,622 COVID-19 infections and 54,877 deaths as of Wednesday, said the Ministry of Health and Social Protection.

The government has extended the health emergency over COVID-19 till Feb. 28, urging people to avoid crowds and observe safety measures to curb the spread of the virus.