China to provide COVID-19 vaccines free of charge, says official

In another bid to safeguard the nation against the pandemic, health authorities in China said that they will provide COVID-19 vaccine free of cost, once it becomes available. Speaking at a presser, National Health Commission official Zheng Zhongwei announced that all the costs of manufacturing and distribution of vaccines would be borne by the government. The resident would not have to pay “even a single penny” for the jabs. So far, the authorities in the communist regime have given a green signal to Sinopharm’s vaccine for mass inoculation. 

"Our people don't have to pay a single cent for the vaccine," Zheng told a press event in Beijing.

Apart from the domestically produced Sinopharm vaccine, the country has also vaccinated limited groups of high infection using three other jabs. As for the mass inoculation, Chinese authorities are tasked with the challenge to vaccinate nearly 1.5 billion people. Last month, the country expanded its list extending it to more key groups such as employees in the food and public transport sectors.

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COVID-19 in China

Since first detected in December 2019, the coronavirus cases in China has spiralled to 87,364 with over 4,634 reported fatalities. Various parts of China are reporting new cases. Parts of Hebei province near Beijing have been deemed as the coronavirus high danger zone after 14 new cases of COVID-19 were found. Also, eleven of those cases were in Shijiazhuang city. 30 more people tested positive for the virus without even showing any symptom. Besides, cases were reported in the city of Yantai. According to the reports by AP, China also recorded two cases of domestic transmission in the northeastern province of Liaoning and one case in Beijing. 

With the resurgence of new COVID-19 cases in China, authorities have further imposed restrictions on travel and entry into the country's borders. The authorities have also suspended chartered flights between India and China citing strict control measures. Chinese foreign ministry last week said that it will assess the situation concerning the resumption of studies for foreign students and will continue discussions with all parties. However, according to students, there has been no communication from the Chinese side on their return.

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