Morocco received a second batch of 500 000 doses of China's Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday, part of its national vaccination campaign, health ministry sources said.

The 1-million Sinopharm doses add to 6-million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by India’s Serum Institute which Morocco has received so far.

Morocco has ordered 66-million doses of the vaccines, which require two doses per person, under plans to inoculate 80% of its 36-million-strong population for free.

By Monday, Morocco had Africa’s largest vaccinated population of 1.7-million people. The number of infections had reached 478 595, including 8 491 deaths.

Despite a drop in daily registered cases, Morocco extended a night curfew for two weeks starting on Tuesday to contain spread of new coronavirus variants.