777 million fully vaccinated in China, authorities say as country records lowest rate of Covid-19 infections since July

Chinese authorities have fully vaccinated over 777 million citizens against Covid-19, according to the National Health Commission, as a recent outbreak of the virus appears to have been brought under control.

On Friday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said 777 million Chinese citizens had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, marking one of the first times the state has divulged information on the number of people fully inoculated. 

Spokesman Mi Feng told a news briefing that 1.832 billion doses have been given in China as of August 12. Of the seven vaccines available in the country, five require two doses. One is administered in a single shot, and another consists of three doses. 

The NHC update came as China reported a mere 47 new infections on Thursday, the lowest number registered since July 30. The country has been battling an outbreak, largely believed to be of the Delta variant of Covid-19, which began in the city of Nanjing in eastern Jiangsu province on July 20. 

The authorities contend that the Delta strain entered the country when an airport cleaning crew was exposed to the virus on a passenger jet that had arrived from Russia.

The outbreak triggered the implementation of lockdown restrictions, contact tracing and mass testing. Authorities even tested the entire population of Wuhan, a city of 12 million people, finding 37 cases and 41 asymptomatic carriers. 

On Sunday, the makers of the widely used CoronaVac shot said a third shot of their jab increased antibody levels substantially, amid concerns over its long-term efficacy. China’s shots made by Sinovac and Sinopharm have been used widely across the world. 

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