This archive report was first published on 16 September 2021.
China has made significant strides in its COVID-19 vaccination efforts, with over 1 billion people fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. This represents 71 percent of the country's population, according to official figures released on September 16, 2021.
Despite having mostly curbed the virus within its borders, China is racing to get the vast majority of its population vaccinated as a new outbreak of the Delta variant flares up in the southeast. The country is currently battling an outbreak in the southeastern province of Fujian, which has infected almost 200 people so far in three cities, dozens of whom are schoolchildren.
As of September 15, 2.16 billion vaccine doses have been administered nationwide, according to National Health Commission spokesman Mi Feng. Chinese health authorities had previously reported that 890 million people in China had been fully vaccinated and two billion doses administered.
Top virologist Zhong Nanshan has stated that the country is likely to have 80 percent of its population inoculated by the end of the year, reaching herd immunity. However, the government has not publicly announced a target for vaccination coverage.
China is currently racing to produce its own mRNA vaccine, whose technology is believed to be more effective against the Delta variant. The country is also using targeted lockdowns, travel restrictions, mass testing, and school closures to quash the outbreak before the upcoming October 1 public holiday.
