HANOI—Vietnam has approved China’s Sinopharm vaccine for use against COVID-19, state media reported on Friday, making it the third brand to be endorsed in the Southeast Asian country that is tackling a new outbreak of infections. The decision to approve the Sinopharm vaccine was issued by the health ministry, the official Vietnam News Agency reported. Vietnam has previously approved the AstraZeneca vaccine and Russia’s Sputnik V. The ministry did not immediately respond to an email request for comment. Vietnam is trying to accelerate its vaccine procurement drive to tackle a more stubborn wave of infections, even though its overall case load and fatality numbers remain relatively low. Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said on Wednesday Vietnam was nearing its target of acquiring 150 million doses of vaccines this year to inoculate 75 percent of its 98 million population. The country has taken delivery of nearly 2.9 million doses of …