“As of September 15, 2.16 billion vaccine doses have been administered nationwide,” China’s National Health Commission spokesman Mi Feng told a press briefing, AFP reported.
Beijing: Days after India categorically declared that more doses of coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the country than all G7 countries put together, China has now claimed to have fully vaccinated more than a billion people against Covid-19.
According to official figures on Thursday, China claimed to have vaccinated 71% of its population.
“As of September 15, 2.16 billion doses of vaccines have been administered nationwide,” China National Health Commission spokesman Mi Feng said at a press briefing. AFP reported.
Chinese health officials, where the virus was first detected, said last month that 890 million people in the country had been fully vaccinated and two billion doses administered.
ALSO READ: Al-Qaeda will be able to attack America again – report
Leading virologist Zhong Nanshan said last month that China would likely have 80 percent of its population vaccinated by the end of the year. However, the Chinese government has yet to publicly announce a vaccination coverage target.
China is currently battling an outbreak of the Delta variant in southeastern Fujian Province, with around 200 people, including schoolchildren, infected.
It comes after China declared the Delta variant under control.
Earlier in July, China launched its vaccination campaign to include minors between the ages of 12 and 17. Most young children, however, are still not vaccinated, raising fears that the latest outbreak in Fujian is disproportionately hitting the most vulnerable people in China.
The government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, sharing the data earlier this month, that more than 180 million doses of the vaccine were administered in India in August, while the G7 states had only administered that 101 million doses.
“Another feat! With more than 180 million doses of vaccine administered in August, India is leaving a mark on the world map by paving the way for the priority vaccination of its population. #LargestVaccineDrive, ”MyGovIndia’s official Twitter account said, sharing the data.
ALSO READ: China Claims To Fully Vaccinate More Than 1 Billion People
