Mozambique has taken delivery of 500,000 more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine devised by Sinopharm Group Co. Ltd of China, Xinhua reports.

The Chinese state-run news agency says the vaccine was bought by the Mozambican public and private sectors through their joint scheme to supply the government with 139,000 doses.

The report quotes Mozambican Minister of Health Armindo Tiago as saying at the turnover of the shipment on Wednesday that the vaccine will speed up the national programme of inoculation.

Mr Tiago said his country was set to receive another 1.5 million doses of vaccine against COVID-19 in the coming weeks.

He hopes half the population will be inoculated by next month, Xinhua says.

In February the Chinese Embassy in Maputo announced that Mozambique had taken delivery of its first 200,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine.