MOSCOW — Pakistan’s government has decided to allow the emergency use of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in the country, the Dawn newspaper reported on Sunday citing government’s sources.

"At the meeting held by the registration board of Pakistan’s Drug Regulatory Authority, another vaccine was also approved for emergency use," according to the newspaper.

"After this decision, the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine was the third one to be approved for emergency use in the country," the source noted, according to the Russian News Agency (TASS).

On Tuesday, Pakistan's Health Ministry authorized the emergency use of a coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical corporation, Sinopharm.

The country’s authorities also allowed to use the drug, manufactured by the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca and the Oxford University. Since the start of the pandemic, Pakistan has reported about 529,000 coronavirus cases.

In a meeting conducted by the registration board of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), another vaccine has also been given EUA (emergency use authorization) which was developed with the backing of Russian Development Investment Fund, the official said.

A local pharmaceutical AGP, he said, had been authorized as the sole importer and distributor of the Russian vaccine, according to the paper.

Last week, Hungary became the first European Union country to approve the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for public distribution.

A short time later the UAE also announced the same decision making it 12th country outside of Russia which have authorized its use. — Agencies