(Bloomberg) --

Hungary became the first European Union nation to grant approval for the use of a Chinese Covid-19 vaccine amid efforts by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government to cut short what authorities described as the start of a third wave of the pandemic.

The nation’s drugs regulator published the documentation for the Sinopharm vaccine late Friday, clearing the way for authorities to starting administering them from next week. While the Chinese shot can be given to all adults, the regulator said more information was needed to assess its efficacy for those older than 60.

The Chinese shot will complement vaccines from Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE, Moderna Inc, Astrazeneca Plc as well Russia’s Sputnik V that are already deployed in Hungary. The nation of 9.8 million had vaccinated 391,821 people as of Thursday. The government targets vaccinating more than 1 million by the end of February.

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