Argentina has approved use of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccination for people over the age of 60, the government of the South American country announced in a statement.

The National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology, or ANMAT, Argentina's regulatory body, said in the statement that the vaccine “is within an acceptable margin of safety and efficacy for the age group over 60 years”.

President Alberto Fernandez, 61, plans to get vaccinated with Sputnik V, now that it has been approved for his age group, government officials said. Some 45,832 people have died in Argentina of Covid-19 so far.

The second batch of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine arrived in Argentina on Saturday, allowing the country to apply the second part of the two-dose program currently aimed at inoculating frontline health workers.