SANTIAGO -- The Public Health Institute of Chile (ISP) on Wednesday approved the emergency use of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) developed by Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech.

"We obtained very good results regarding the manufacturing quality and the strains being developed in the manufacture of this vaccine. We are approving a safe and effective vaccine for the population," acting director of the ISP, Heriberto Garcia, said.

The vaccine "prevents hospitalizations and the severity of the disease," he added.

Some 680,740 people in Chile have so far tested positive for COVID-19 and 17,594 have died from the disease, according to the health ministry.

The Chinese vaccine has been tested since the end of 2020 on volunteers participating in a phase III clinical trial run by the Institute of Immunotherapy and Immunology at Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.