Zimbabwe has received its first 200,000 doses of the Sinopharm Covid vaccine.

The consignment arrived on Monday morning in a Air Zimbabwe flight and were handed over to the government by Chinese ambassador to the country.

China has donated the 200,000 doses. An additional 600,000 doses ordered by the Zimbabwean government are expected to arrive in March.

The health ministry tweeted the moment the plane carrying the vaccines landed:

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday address the nation regarding a lockdown that is about to end.

Three cabinet ministers have died from the virus that has infected 35,172 people so far, according to data from the health ministry.

Zimbabwe neighbours South Africa where a coronavirus variant has caused an increase in cases.

South Africa halted vaccination after a study showed low efficacy of the vaccine against the variant in the country.