UPDATE 1-China approves Sinovac Biotech COVID-19 vaccine for general public use

adds details from press release

BEIJING, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Sinovac Biotech SVA.O said on Saturday that its unit's COVID-19 vaccine has been formally approved for use by the general public by China's medical products regulator.

It marks the second COVID-19 vaccine green-lighted for public use in China, after a shot developed by a Beijing institute affiliated to state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) was approved in December.

Prior to the approvals, both vaccines have already been used in China's vaccination program mainly targeting key groups deemed to be at higher risk of exposure to the virus.

Indonesia, Turkey, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, and Laos have granted emergency authorizations for the CoronaVac vaccine developed by Sinovac Life Sciences, Sinovac said in a news release.

The approval is based on the two-month results from late-stage clinical trials overseas, from which the final analysis data has not yet been obtained, Sinovac said.

(Reporting by Roxanne Liu and David Stanway; Editing by Kim Coghill)

((david.stanway@thomsonreuters.com; +86 21 2083 0066;))