Peru appointed its sixth foreign minister in less than a year following a fresh resignation over a growing coronavirus vaccinations scandal.

Veteran diplomat Allan Wagner, 79, was sworn in less than 24 hours after Elizabeth Astete became the second top official to step down over the scandal, Reuters reported.

Peru has been gripped in recent days by the news that government officials received the Covid-19 vaccination weeks or even months before the South American country launched its immunisation programme.

Health minister Pilar Mazzetti stepped down last week following a newspaper report that former president Martin Vizcarra had received a shot of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine in October. Peru only began its immunisation drive, starting with healthcare workers, in early February after receiving 300,000 doses of vaccine.