<span style="color: #222222;">Sri Lanka has approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the country. The island nation is battling a third wave of the virus.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Dr. Sudharshani Fernandopulle, the minister overseeing the fight against the epidemic, said, the government would order five million doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Sri Lanka is the first country in South Asia to approve the Pfizer vaccine. It has also approved Russia's Sputnik and China's Sinopharm vaccines for emergency use.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The island nation reported 1,914 new cases and 19 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to federal health data, and its total number of active cases is higher than any point since the pandemic began. Infections surged after crowded celebrations for traditional New Year last month. </span><br />