Nepal approved on Thursday the emergency use of a Covid-19 vaccine developed by an affliate of China's Sinopharm, a government official said, the second vaccine cleared after Oxford-AstraZeneca's product.

The move paves the way for China to donate 500,000 doses of the Sinipharmvaccine to the Himalayan nation, which last month recieved one million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine free of charge from its other big neighnpur India.

Nepal will also buy the AstraZeneca vaccine from India.

"Conditional permission has been granted to the Chinese vaccine for its emergency use in Nepal," said Santosh K.C, a senior official in the Department of Drug Administration.

(With inputs from agencies)