Over 1.2 bln people vaccinated against COVID-19 in China

CHINA: A total of 1.225 billion people in China have been vaccinated against COVID-19, including those who have only received one dose, covering 86.9 percent of the country’s population, according to official figures unveiled Saturday.

In addition, around 65.73 million people have received a booster shot, said Wu Liangyou, deputy head of the disease control and prevention division of the National Health Commission (NHC), at a press conference.

More than 2.42 billion vaccine jabs had been administered nationwide as of Friday, with over 1.076 billion people in the country fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, NHC figures showed.

“The mass vaccination campaign has played an important role in curbing the transmission of novel coronavirus and preventing the occurrence of severe cases,” Wu said.

Meanwhile, Shanghai has begun COVID-19 vaccination for children aged between 3 and 5 since Saturday.

Parents would choose whether to get their children vaccinated. Every child must be accompanied by a parent or a guardian during the vaccination.

The vaccination sites have created a child-friendly environment while paying more attention to kids’ reactions.

Meanwhile, An experimental COVID-19 antibody treatment developed by researchers in China has shortened hospital stay of patients based on preliminary results, Sunney Xie, director of the Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics at Peking University, said on Saturday.

The drug, based on a potent neutralizing antibody DXP-604, has been authorized for compassionate use and delivered to 35 patient at the Beijing Ditan Hospital as of Nov 17, he said during an online academic conference. – CHINA PEOPLE’S DAILY, XINHUA