Nepal gave conditional approval on Tuesday for the emergency use of the Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine, an official of the drug regulator said, as the country recorded the highest daily increase of infections in four months.

A Pakistani lab will soon receive Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine for commercial sale, a company official said on Sunday, making Pakistan one of the first countries to market shots privately as it scrambles to secure supplies.

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca's Russian branch said Friday it would use part of Russia's homemade Sputnik V vaccine in further clinical trials, a major sign of recognition for a jab that has been viewed with scepticism by the West.

Moscow launched an online service on Friday for people to book appointments to be vaccinated against Covid-19, two days after President Vladimir Putin called for large-scale vaccinations.

President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday that Russia has registered its second coronavirus vaccine, while the country reported a record number of new infections.

Russia said Saturday that it has produced the first batch of its coronavirus vaccine, after President Vladimir Putin announced it had been first in the world to approve a vaccine.

Russia said on Wednesday the first batch of the world's first Covid-19 vaccine would be rolled out within two weeks and rejected as "groundless" safety concerns aired by some experts over Moscow's rapid approval