A batch of Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine donated by China arrived in the Philippines on Sunday, the first COVID-19 vaccine to reach the Southeast Asian country.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte attended the handover ceremony of the vaccine at a Philippine Air Force base in the capital city of Manila.

The delivery of the vaccine allows the Philippines to start mass vaccinations soon, marking a new phase in the country's fight against the COVID-19 disease that has infected 576,352 people and killed 12,318.