China would provide COVID-19 vaccines for free, according to a government official.
A government official on Saturday said that China would provide COVID-19 vaccines for free once these vaccines became available to the general public.
In a report on ABS-CBN News, National Health Commission official Zheng Zhongwei said that the Chinese government can provide COVID-19 vaccines for free to individuals while manufacturing and transporting vaccines have costs.
“Our people don’t have to pay a single cent for the vaccine,” Zheng Zhongwei told a press event in Beijing, China.
China approved its first COVID-19 vaccine for general public use in late December.
Three COVID-19 vaccines, as per the report, had already been given to limited groups at high risk of coronavirus infection — including medical workers — through an emergency use program.
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China widened the vaccination scheme in mid-December to more key groups — such as employees in the public transport and food sectors — in an effort to stem a resurgence in the winter and spring.
National Health Commission official Zeng Yixin said that those vaccinations were also free for individuals.
“We had found some local governments had charged individuals fees, we… demanded immediate rectification,” Zeng Yixin told the briefing.
Zeng Yixin also said that local governments had since properly implemented the free vaccination policy in the country.
According to Zeng, China had administered over 9 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. Of that total, more than 7 million had been administered since mid-December 2020.
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