BEIJING, July 14 (Reuters) - Several areas in China will
start vaccinating teenagers this month against COVID-19, state
media and local authorities said, as the country steps up its
inoculation campaign.
China, which has managed to rein in domestic infections, has
administered 1.4 billion vaccine doses, or two-fifths of the
global total of 3.47 billion doses.
This month, the southwestern region of Guangxi and the city
of Jingmen in the central province of Hubei will start
vaccinating those aged between 15 and 17, and children between
12 and 14 in August, state media and local disease control
officials said in reports on Tuesday.
By the end of October, authorities there aim to have fully
vaccinated all eligible in the age group of 12 to 17.
China has approved two domestically developed vaccines, one
produced by Sinovac Biotech and the other produced by a
Beijing firm affiliated with Sinopharm, for those aged between
three and 17.
The world's most populous country, with a population of 1.4
billion, does not regularly disclose how many people have been
fully vaccinated, but late last month a state broadcaster said
the nationwide rate had exceeded 40%.
Several local authorities said this month that public
places, from supermarkets to train stations, will check
vaccination credentials and record personal details of
unvaccinated visitors, to nudge more people to get doses.
China is expected to vaccinate at least 70% of target groups
by the end of this year, Zeng Yixin, deputy director of the
National Health Commission, told the official Xinhua news agency
last month, without giving details of the groups.
(Reporting by Roxanne Liu and Ryan Woo; Editing by Clarence
Fernandez)