Hanoi (VNA) - The Philippines' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency authorization for the use of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, FDA Director-General Enrique Domingo said on March 19.

The known and potential benefits of the Sputnik V vaccine, when used to prevent COVID-19, outweigh the known and potential risks of the said vaccine as of date, Domingo said in an online media briefing.

Sputnik V, developed by Russia's Gamaleya Institute, is the fourth, after the vaccines produced by Pfizer, AstraZeneca và Sinofar, to get emergency use authorisation in the Southeast Asian nation as it battles a renewed surge in infections.

The same day, the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) reported 7,103 new COVID-19 infections, the highest daily jump since the disease emerged in the Southeast Asian country in January 2020, raising the total to 648,066.

The death toll climbed to 12,900 after 13 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. It added that 390 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 561,902.

The Philippines, which has a population of about 110 million, has tested over 8.9 million people so far./.

VNA