Beijing
Beijing is starting to offer residents booster jabs for Covid-19, local media said Wednesday, as the Chinese capital gears up to host a tightly controlled Winter Olympics in February.
China has fully vaccinated more than one billion people — more than 78 per cent of the population — as of mid-September, according to the National Health Commission.
Boosters will be offered to residents aged over 18 who have been fully vaccinated for at least six months, according to a report in the state-run Beijing News.
The move comes as Beijing is set to host the Winter Olympics under strict rules that will see athletes live and compete in a “closed loop” and only Chinese spectators allowed to watch events.
Athletes must be vaccinated or face 21-day quarantine upon entry to China. Chinese health experts have said the country needs to reach around 85 percent vaccination coverage to achieve herd immunity — a goal that authorities are trying to achieve by the end of this year.—APP
