People will receive Covid-19 vaccines at a temporary vaccination center in Beijing on Jan. 8
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China has ruled more than 9 million doses of anti-coronavirus vaccines as the country braces for a potential increase in infections during the winter.
About 7.5 million doses have been given since Dec. 15, officials told a briefing in Beijing. Vaccines are free to all citizens and the cost will be covered by the drug fund and fiscal budgets, they said.
China sees a greater risk of the virus spreading in winter when people travel and gather for vacations, Zeng Yixin, deputy chief of the National Health Commission, told reporters.
The rollout of vaccinations is primarily targeting high-risk populations because production capacity can’t keep up, Zeng said. Its capacity is now steadily increasing and it will allow dosing to be delivered to the general public, he said, without providing a timeline.
China is “active, open and supportive” for a visit to Wuhan by the World Health Organization to find out the origin of the virus, Zeng said. China has set up its own experts to partner with WHO experts in Wuhan. The timing of the WHO team’s arrival in China is still being confirmed, he said.
– With help from John Liu and Dingmin Zhang
(Adds comments on vaccine costs, WHO in second, last paragraph)