South Africa approves China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for domestic use - health ministry

South Africa's health minister said on Saturday that authorities had approved China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for domestic use, as the country faces a crippling third wave of infections that has paralysed hospitals and brought its death toll to 60,000.

"I would like to express gratitude to our regulatory authority for their sense of urgency, which included reducing turnaround time to process applications for registration of ... (the) COVID-19 vaccine," Acting Minister of Health Mamoloko Kubayi said in a statement.