Over one billion people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in China, National Health Committee said on Thursday. The milestone comes nearly 10 months after China give its first conditional approval to the inactivated vaccine from state-owned Sinopharm and kicked off the biggest immunization campaign in history.
China has been even more successful in the mega cities lining its developed eastern region. More than 97% of adults in the capital of Beijing are fully vaccinated, as are 80% of the residents over the age of 12 in nearby Tianjin. The rate is approaching 80% in the financial hub of Shanghai and in the neighboring Zhejiang Province. In contrast, the hinterland provinces and those in the remote west have lower vaccine coverage levels.
China accounts for more than a third of the 5.18 billion shots that have been administered globally. Beijing has also exported 800 million doses to the rest of the world. It has signed off on giving booster shots to those at the greatest risk of contracting the virus or developing severe Covid, including people over 60 years old.