China Begins COVID-19 Vaccination for Children Aged 3 and Above

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] China has started COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged 3 and above. This expansion to include ages 3 to 11 comes three months after extending the vaccination target to ages 12 to 17 in July.

According to China News Network on the 26th, the Hubei Provincial Health Commission announced the day before that it has begun vaccinating children aged 3 to 11.

Hainan Province started vaccinating children aged 3 to 11 a day earlier, on the 24th. Quzhou and Jinhua cities in Zhejiang Province, Zhuzhou and Yiyang in Hunan Province, and Changde City have also recently announced plans to vaccinate children aged 3 to 11.

Other regions are expected to soon begin vaccinating children as well. Local media explained, "When COVID-19 spread in Fujian Province last September, school cluster infections occurred, raising concerns about student safety."

In June, China approved the emergency use of its domestically produced COVID-19 vaccine, Sinovac, for ages 3 to 17. This was the world's first approval for vaccine use in children aged 3 to 11. The Sinovac vaccine also received emergency use authorization from Chinese health authorities for individuals aged 3 and above.

As of the 23rd, China’s cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered reached 2.24 billion. Approximately 1.06 billion people, about 75% of the total population of 1.4 billion, have completed their vaccinations.