Portugal said it hoped to vaccinate a further 1.7 million people against Covid-19 over the next two weeks as authorities scramble to contain a surge in infections caused by the more contagious Delta variant.

Cases in Portugal, a nation of just over 10 million, jumped by 2,605 on Saturday, the biggest increase since Feb 13, taking the total cases since the pandemic began to 887,047.

New cases are being reported mostly among unvaccinated younger people so daily coronavirus deaths, currently in single digits, remain well below levels in February, when the country was still under lockdown after January's second wave, Reuters reports.

Portugal has fully vaccinated around 35 per cent of its population, and those aged 18 to 29 can start booking vaccination appointments on Sunday.