Beijing Rolls Out Covid-19 Booster Shots Ahead Of Olympics

Beijing, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Oct, 2021 ) :Beijing is starting to offer residents booster jabs for Covid-19, local media said Wednesday, as the Chinese capital gears up to host a tightly controlled Winter Olympics in February.

China has fully vaccinated more than one billion people -- more than 78 per cent of the population -- as of mid-September, according to the National Health Commission.

Boosters will be offered to residents aged over 18 who have been fully vaccinated for at least six months, according to a report in the state-run Beijing news.

The move comes as Beijing is set to host the Winter Olympics under strict rules that will see athletes live and compete in a "closed loop" and only Chinese spectators allowed to watch events.

Athletes must be vaccinated or face 21-day quarantine upon entry to China.

Chinese health experts have said the country needs to reach around 85 percent vaccination coverage to achieve herd immunity -- a goal that authorities are trying to achieve by the end of this year.