El Salvador on Monday received a third shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac, local authorities said.

Salvadoran Health Minister Francisco Alabi and China's Ambassador Ou Jianhong were among those to receive the Chinese-made vaccine.

"Teamwork and making the health of the population a priority have been a fundamental part" of the country's anti-COVID campaign, Alabi said in a brief speech.

Ou said the shipment clearly shows the friendly cooperation between the two nations.

"The two countries' cooperation in vaccines has reflected Chinese responsibility, capacity, efficiency and speed, and has also demonstrated our goodwill in supporting El Salvador in fighting the pandemic and benefiting the Salvadoran people," Ou said.

The shipment was transported to the Health Ministry's distribution center for delivery to vaccination centers.

El Salvador launched a drive to vaccinate 4.5 million people on February 17.

As of Sunday, the Central American country registered 68,468 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 2,106 deaths from the disease, according to local health authorities.