Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm said one of its vaccine candidates against the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 disease, has started early human trials after being given the nod for clinical trials from the country's health authorities on Sunday.

The vaccine, co-developed by the company's subsidiary, China National Biotech Group Co Ltd, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology under the Chinese Academy of Science, was the first inactivated vaccine against the novel coronavirus approved for clinical trials globally, the company said, which also is known as China National Pharmaceutical Group Co.

According to Chinese laws, the vaccine is also ready for emergency production and use, the company said.

CNBG, Sinopharm's subsidiary for vaccine and biological medicine, is also developing a genetic engineering vaccine against the virus, which is still undergoing preclinical research.

Last month, Chinese authorities approved clinical trials for a recombinant vaccine candidate by the Academy of Military Sciences of the People's Liberation Army and Chinese biotech firm CanSino Bio.

CanSino Bio announced last week that the vaccine, produced through recombinant DNA technology, would start Phase 2 clinical trials soon.