As of Saturday, more than 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccination have been given throughout China, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).
Since late March, China has expedited the delivery of free COVID-19 vaccines to the whole country. On March 27, the country reached a milestone of 100 million immunizations.
On April 20, the immunization rate reached 200 million people. With 300 million vaccinations on May 7, 500 million on May 23, and one billion on June 19, the inoculation rate continued to accelerate.
Currently, the nation is testing 21 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in clinical studies. Three vaccinations have been approved for emergency use in the country, while four have received conditional marketing clearance.
The national immunization programme in China is accessible to everyone above the age of 18. The government has also authorized the use of domestic inactivated vaccines on children aged 3 to 17 in an emergency situation. Based on the particular COVID-19 scenario, a detailed policy for vaccination of this age group will be developed.
According to Zeng Yixin, deputy director of NHC, by the end of this year, at least 70% of the country’s population would have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
According to Zeng, a large-scale immunization program conducted throughout the country has shown that Chinese COVID-19 vaccines are safe, with the incidence rates of common side effects well within international standards.
