Philippines approves Russia's Sputnik V vaccine: developer

Philippine's President Rodrigo Duterte

The developer of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine said Friday its shot had been approved for use in the Philippines, becoming the 52nd country to give the green light to the Russian jab. Russia's sovereign wealth fund, which backed the development of Sputnik V, said in a statement the jab was registered ‘under the emergency use authorisation procedure.’ The Philippines announced this week it plans to close its borders to foreigners beginning March 20 and limit entry to its own citizens to halt the spread of new cases. The temporary measures come after the number of daily cases hit a seven-month high on Monday.