China to provide Covid-19 vaccines free of charge: government official

[SHANGHAI] China will provide Covid-19 vaccines free of charge once they become available to general public, government authorities said on Saturday.

At a press event in Beijing, Zheng Zhongwei, an official with China's National Commission, told reporters that while manufacturing and transport of vaccines does have costs, the government will still be able to provide vaccines for free to individuals.

"Our people don't have to pay a single cent for the vaccine," said Mr Zheng.

China has administered more than nine million Covid-19 vaccine doses, National Health Commission official Zeng Yixin added during the briefing. Of that total, seven million were administered from mid-December to the present.

REUTERS

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