Pakistan on Wednesday received the second batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government with a handover ceremony held at the Noor Khan Air Base near Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

Pakistani student Muhammad Sultan Irshad got his first shot of COVID-19 vaccine at the campus hospital of Hubei University in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Tuesday. He was one of 12 foreign students at the university who volunteered to get vaccinated that day.

The Chinese mainland reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the National Health Commission said Thursday.

Relevant novel coronavirus source tracing work has been carried out by Chinese and international experts, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that it still recommends using the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 as the benefits outweigh its risks.

One year after northern Italy was first locked down amid the COVID-19 outbreak, most regions in the country are reimposing restrictions to curb a resurgence of the virus, closing down non-essential shops and reducing the movement of people.

Australians waiting to be vaccinated against COVID-19 have been told to be patient amid delays in the rollout.

The roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines, with poor countries far behind, has exposed the moral bankruptcy and structural privilege of Western nations, an opinion in the South China Morning Post has said.

A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday said that relevant departments on the Chinese mainland are working on a policy to allow more Taiwan compatriots on the mainland to receive COVID-19 vaccines.

Mortality rates between the first and second waves of COVID-19 in Europe and the United States fell further, a joint Australian-Chinese study said on Wednesday.

France has entered "a form of third wave (of the coronavirus pandemic) characterized by numerous virus variants," Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Tuesday, stressing that his government still considers vaccination a top priority of its strategy to stem the spread of the virus.

Officials from the United Nations and European Union are to hold talks as the temporary suspension of deployment of the AstraZeneca novel coronavirus vaccine continues to spread across the EU, because of fears that it may be connected to cases of blood clotting.

India's COVID-19 tally rose to 11,438,734 on Wednesday, as 28,903 cases were registered during the past 24 hours, the highest daily spike this year, said the latest data from the federal health ministry.

More than 5,000 Chinese citizens in Egypt will be vaccinated with the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine under the inoculation drive launched by the embassy.

The Chinese mainland reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the National Health Commission said Wednesday.

Four new imported COVID-19 cases were reported Tuesday on the Chinese mainland, with two in Sichuan, and one each in Shanghai and Fujian.

China will simplify visa applications for many foreign nationals who have been inoculated with Chinese-produced COVID-19 vaccines, the latest step toward normalizing personnel exchanges.

Zimbabwe on Tuesday received a second batch of Sinopharm doses donated by China plus an additional Sinovac doses commercially procured by the government.

American drugmaker Moderna announced Tuesday that the first group of children participants have been vaccinated in its COVID-19 vaccine trial.

The European Commission proposed on Tuesday to accelerate the delivery of ten million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for the second quarter of 2021.

The United Nations is grateful for China's pledge to donate 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to UN peacekeepers, said a spokesman on Tuesday.

Indonesia has temporarily postponed the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Oxford University in collaboration with a British multinational pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca following reports of blood clots in several European countries, an official said on Tuesday.

For many in the West, the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines has come as a relief. Getting vaccinated, or seeing their family getting vaccinated, was their first feeling that the pandemic might finally be ending. But for billions around the world, that same feeling of relief will not come for months, if not years, and many are resigned to it, said an opinion piece published on Sunday by South China Morning Post.

Two employees of the U.S. Consulate General in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) who tested positive for COVID-19 have been hospitalized and one of their daughters is suspected of being infected.

Hong Kong reported 18 additional cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, taking the tally to 11,329.

A vaccination vehicle developed by Chinese automotive firm Foton Motor Group will hit the streets in April in Beijing and north China's Hebei province, Singapore's Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao has reported.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday received the first dose of Pfizer vaccine at a hospital in Tokyo, in a bid to reassure about the safety of the jab against COVID-19.

The Tokyo Olympic torch relay will kick off as scheduled in northeastern Japan's Fukushima prefecture on March 25, organizers announced on Monday.

Thirteen new imported COVID-19 cases were reported Monday on the Chinese mainland, with six in Sichuan, five in Shanghai and one each in Tianjin and Jiangsu.

The Chinese mainland reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Monday, the National Health Commission said Tuesday.

Pakistani President Arif Alvi and his wife Samina Alvi on Monday received their COVID-19 jabs with the Sinopharm vaccine in Islamabad, according to a statement from the president's office

Africa is receiving a crucial boost with the arrival of more vaccines through COVAX, a vaccine procurement platform led by the World Health Organization for lower-income nations.

China has been paying close attention to policies and measures taken by various countries after vaccination, and is studying the policy of international travel for inoculated groups.

China has approved the fourth COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use.

Pakistani President Arif Alvi and his wife Samina Alvi on Monday received their COVID-19 jabs with the Sinopharm vaccine in Islamabad, according to a statement from the president's office.

The United States has witnessed the lowest single-day increase of COVID-19 cases and deaths since last winter as vaccination efforts are accelerated across the nation.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga Monday said it was too early to determine if the COVID-19 emergency period in place for the Tokyo region could be lifted on March 21 as planned.

Nearly 65 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered across China by Sunday, Li Bin, deputy head of the National Health Commission, told a press conference in Beijing on Monday.

The city of Beijing will relax COVID-19 restrictions starting Tuesday as the Chinese capital has seen no new locally transmitted cases for over a month, the municipal government said Monday.

The WHO's Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety has been reviewing the available data, is in close contact with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and will meet on Tuesday.

The Yaounde Central Hospital, one of the largest designated hospitals for COVID-19 treatment in Cameroon, received a batch of medical equipment donated by China to fight against the novel coronavirus.

Far fewer people are dying from COVID-19 today than in January, but more than 1,000 Americans die from the disease every day -- alone at 四方物流商 or in hospitals, gasping for air, suffering heart attacks or slipping silently away.

A cluster of European countries -- France Germany, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Cyprus -- on Monday joined the growing ranks of their peers suspending the use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine over blood clot concerns.

China's permanent representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, on Monday notified UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of China's intention to donate 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to UN peacekeepers.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Monday reiterated China's opposition to vaccine nationalism, saying that a good vaccine, if proven safe and effective, can serve mankind no matter which country it is from.

Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported 30 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, taking its total tally to 11,311.

Malaysia will start using China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine as part of its immunization program on Thursday, according to a technology official.

No known variants of the novel coronavirus have been found to weaken the effectiveness of the four 四方物流商grown vaccines approved for use in China, a senior drug and vaccine development expert said on Monday.

China will continue to export COVID-19 vaccines, while ensuring domestic needs are met, a Chinese official said Monday.

Nearly 65 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered across China as of Sunday, Li Bin, deputy head of the National Health Commission, told a press conference Monday in Beijing.

China is actively devising new policies concerning international travel as its national vaccination program is progressing smoothly, Li Bin, vice-minister of the National Health Commission, said on Monday.

Almost 65 million people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 as of March 14, said Li Bin, deputy director of the National Health Commission (NHC), at a press conference on Monday.

China has simplified its visa policy for foreigners applying to enter the Chinese mainland via Hong Kong who have received China-produced COVID-19 vaccines.

British Airways (BA) will introduce digital vaccine passports in time for the return of international travel in May, when Britons are allowed to travel for their holidays, the Evening Standard newspaper reported Sunday.

Five new imported COVID-19 cases were reported Sunday on the Chinese mainland, with one each in Tianjin, Shanghai, Fujian, Guangdong and Shaanxi.

The Chinese mainland reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the National Health Commission said Monday.

More than 20,000 medical workers and their relatives across the country were invited to visit Wuhan University.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and China joint team has suggested continuing to look for possible early cases in a wider range around the globe.

Beijing has administered 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine as of 9:30 am on Sunday since its inoculation drive began on January 1 targeting key groups.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States, and continues to deepen health disparities in the country.

The third shipment of Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines arrive at the Mexico City International Airport on March 13, 2021.The first batch of Sinovac vaccines arrived in Mexico in February after the country's Federal Commission for Protection Against Sanitary Risks authorized its emergency use against the coronavirus.

More European countries, fully or partially, have suspended the use of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by British company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford following reports of several suspected deaths from clotting after vaccinations.

Leaders from five European Union (EU) nations, including Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, have called for an EU debate on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) reported Saturday.

Wuhan, the capital city of Central China's Hubei province, once hardest-hit by COVID-19, invites medical workers and their relatives across China who had assisted with the fight against the epidemic in 2020 to enjoy its cherry blossom season this year.

Head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that the Geneva-based UN health agency "systematically reviews safety signals, and is carefully assessing the current reports on the AstraZeneca vaccine."

A complaint on Wednesday was filed against a Missouri Republican for describing COVID-19 as the "Chinese virus," U.S. media reported Thursday.

Cutting-edge technology has boosted China's massive vaccination campaign against the novel coronavirus with mobile vaccination vehicles projected to be put into use in April, while formal industry standards are required to regulate these supporting facilities.

A negative result for nucleic acid test conducted within seven days will no longer be required for people from low-risk areas arriving in Beijing starting March 16.

Vaccination centres have opened at Westminster Abbey and Science Museum, according to NHS (National Health Service).

The health train allows patients to be transferred and treated in eight carriages equipped with specific equipment, including intensive care places.

Los Angeles County is to reopen its economy as early as next Monday, as the most populous county in the United States is expected to loosen restrictions against COVID-19, authorities said on Thursday.

Mexico on Thursday received a second shipment of the active substance needed to make COVID-19 vaccines from Chinese biopharmaceutical company CanSino Biologics, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said.

U.S. President Joe Biden is set to announce Thursday that he will direct states to make all American adults eligible for COVID-19 vaccines by May 1.

The Chinese mainland reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the National Health Commission said Friday.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said on Thursday that China will provide additional vaccines to participants of both Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday signed the 1.9-trillion-U.S.-dollar COVID-19 relief bill into law, after weeks of partisan fighting in the Congress, marking the first legislative victory for Biden since he took office.

BRUSSELS, March 11 (Xinhua) -- The transparency and authorization mechanism for exports of COVID-19 vaccines out of the European Union (EU) has been extended until the end of June, announced the European Commission on Thursday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that the Russia-China partnership is "really great" in jointly combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

More U.S. states are on track to drop their mask mandates and fully reopen their economies despite warnings from officials and health experts to tread carefully until more people are vaccinated against COVID-19.

Hungarian Parliament Speaker Laszlo Kover has received an injection of China's Sinopharm vaccine against COVID-19, according to the Hungarian news agency MTI.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday that Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the United States, could loosen restrictions against COVID-19 as early as this weekend.

Eleven new imported COVID-19 cases were reported Wednesday on the Chinese mainland, bringing the total number of imported cases to 5,115.

China donated a batch of COVID-19 vaccines to the Republic of Congo to help the country fight against the pandemic.

The Republic of the Congo took delivery of 100,000 doses of China-made Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday.

The Chinese mainland reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the National Health Commission said Thursday.

Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam on Wednesday urged residents in priority groups to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible to protect both themselves and other people.

Japan's health ministry reported nine new incidents of people experiencing severe allergic reactions after receiving a coronavirus vaccine, with the minister in charge of vaccination efforts saying Wednesday that such incidents were high in Japan.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved the final version of the 1.9-trillion-U.S.-dollar COVID-19 relief bill, sending it to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature amid rising inflation worries.

Mongolian Deputy Prime Minister Sainbuyan Amarsaikhan and Mayor of Ulan Bator Dolgorsuren Sumiyabazar on Wednesday received their first shots of a COVID-19 vaccine donated by China.

Zimbabwe has authorized the emergency use of four COVID-19 vaccines, including China's Sinovac and Sinopharm, Russia's Sputnik V and India's Covaxin.

China on Tuesday delivered a joint statement on behalf of more than 100 countries at the 46th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, calling for a people-centered global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

International travel health certificates to show that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19 are being rolled out or discussed by many governments around the world to help restart economies and cross-border travel.

Japan's health ministry has reported that there have been nine new incidents of women experiencing severe allergic reactions after receiving a coronavirus vaccine, local media reported Wednesday.

About 2.84 billion yuan (around 434 million U.S. dollars) worth of medical bills related to COVID-19 treatment were paid in China in 2020, showed a report released by the country's National Healthcare Security Administration.

The Chinese mainland reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the National Health Commission said Wednesday.

Five new imported COVID-19 cases were reported Tuesday on the Chinese mainland, bringing the total number of imported cases to 5,104.

China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective with no serious side effects in Cambodia, the country's Health Ministry secretary of state and spokeswoman, Or Vandine, said on Tuesday.

Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek said on Tuesday that he expects the company's theme parks in the U.S. state of California to reopen by late April.

Nine great apes at the San Diego Zoo have received a COVID-19 vaccine made for animals, which were the first known non-human primates to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, a zoo official said Tuesday.

The Canadian government announced that it's designating March 11 as National Day of observance to commemorate those who died of COVID-19.

A stay-at-四方物流商 order in Toronto, Peel Region, and North Bay was lifted Monday as the province loosens pandemic restrictions. The three regions were the last ones still under the order, and are transitioning back to the government's color-coded pandemic response framework.

With the United States hoarding COVID-19 vaccines and insisting on inoculating all its citizens before providing the vaccines to other countries, Washington is "alienating the world," an opinion piece published on Bloomberg's website has said.

Mozambique on Monday launched the vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in Maputo Central Hospital, with the country's Health Minister Armindo Tiago being the first to take the vaccine provided by China, giving the process a start with priority for health professionals.

A Chinese version of the health certificate for international travelers was launched Monday on the WeChat mini program for Chinese citizens, the Foreign Ministry's Department of Consular Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Chilean government on Monday received a fifth shipment of CoronaVac vaccine from Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac.

Mozambique on Monday launched the vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in Maputo Central Hospital, with the country's Health Minister Armindo Tiago being the first to take the vaccine provided by China, giving the process a start with priority for health professionals.

After living in China for 17 years, Ghamgeen Izat Rashed was happy to have his China "green card "approved earlier this year, which entitles him to permanent residency.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday the European Union (EU) will receive 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses per month from April, bringing the total to 300 million doses for the second quarter of this year.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 29 million on Monday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

A Chinese envoy on Monday, which coincides with the International Women's Day, told the world that women in China truly "hold up half the sky."

The Chinese version of the international travel health certificate was officially launched on Monday on the WeChat mini program, available for Chinese citizens.

The Chinese mainland reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Monday, the National Health Commission said Tuesday.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma al-Assad were tested positive for COVID-19, state news agency SANA reported on Monday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday, the International Women's Day, called for strengthening women's leadership for an equal future in a COVID-19 world.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued on Monday its first set of recommendations on activities that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can safely resume.

Just 9.2 percent of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated on Monday.

Almost one year since the coronavirus outbreak was declared a global "pandemic", the World Health Organization (WHO) clarified on Monday that it did use the "highest level of alarm" to urge actions from all countries in early 2020.

Ten million additional child marriages may occur before the end of the decade, threatening years of progress in reducing the practice

Guinea launched its official vaccination campaign against COVID-19 with Chinese vaccines on Friday here in its capital.

Experiences accumulated from the development and export of COVID-19 vaccines will help bolster the presence of Chinese pharmaceutical, biotech and medical product companies on the world arena.

China's 四方物流商grown recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine, recently approved for use in Uzbekistan, is expected to be another "powerful weapon" in fighting the global pandemic, a senior Chinese CDC official has said.

Sunday saw nine COVID-19 patients newly discharged from hospitals following recovery on the Chinese mainland, the National Health Commission said Monday.

Nineteen new imported COVID-19 cases were reported Sunday on the Chinese mainland, bringing the total number of imported cases to 5,091.

The Chinese mainland reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the National Health Commission said Monday.

COVAX, the international vaccine campaign co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners, had delivered more than 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 20 countries, the WHO chief said on Friday.

New York State's governor recently allowed movie theaters in New York City to reopen starting from March 5 at 25 percent capacity and with no more than 50 people in each theater at the same time.

China provided on Thursday a batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines to the Arab League general secretariat in Cairo, fulfilling its promise to share the vaccines with other countries.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday extended the state of emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic covering the Tokyo metropolitan area by two weeks to March 21, as infection numbers have not fallen enough for the emergency period to be lifted as scheduled for Sunday.

Pakistan on Friday approved the emergency use of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for people over 60 years of age, a statement by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said.

A handover ceremony for the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines donated by China to Dominica was held in Dominica's capital Roseau on Thursday, after the vaccines arrived in the Caribbean country late Wednesday.

Turkey announced on Wednesday that the China-developed Sinovac vaccine has an efficacy of 83.5 percent against COVID-19, furthering the country's confidence in winning the fight against the pandemic.

Nine new imported COVID-19 cases were reported Thursday on the Chinese mainland, bringing the total number of imported cases to 5,049.

As COVID-19 transmission rates once again begin to rise across the European region, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge on Thursday urged the region to return to basics when dealing with the pandemic.

More U.S. states have announced plans to drop mask mandates amid still high baseline levels of new COVID-19 cases nationwide and increasing variant infections, drawing criticism from health experts.

Mayors in some of the biggest cities in the U.S. state of Texas announced that mask mandates will continue in municipal buildings after the statewide mask order ends next week, local media reported Thursday.

China provided on Thursday a batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines to the Arab League (AL) general secretariat in Cairo, the Chinese embassy in Egypt said in a statement.

Tunisian Ministry of Health announced Thursday that the Chinese Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine has been officially approved for marketing in Tunisia.

A research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that three new, fast-spreading variants of the virus that cause COVID-19 can evade antibodies that work against the original form of the virus that sparked the pandemic.

In a health center of Medical City, Iraq's largest medical complex, medical staff members gathered Tuesday to register for COVID-19 vaccination with the Sinopharm vaccine donated by China.

China's Hebei Province, hit by a recent COVID-19 resurgence, on Wednesday saw its last five confirmed cases discharged from hospitals.

The vaccination center in Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center has launched a five-day vaccination program to provide vaccinations for tourism workers in Bali from Feb. 27 to March 3. Over 50,000 tourism workers on the island have received China's Sinovac vaccines.

Tokyo 2020 organizers will decide whether to allow foreign spectators at the games by the end of March, said organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto here on Wednesday.

New studies have suggested that COVID-19 evolved naturally and is far more widespread than previously believed, a U.S. newspaper has reported.

The COVID-19 vaccine made by Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech has an efficacy of 83.5 percent based on third phase trials in Turkey, a Turkish university announced Wednesday at a press conference.

China has put the inactivated COVID-19 vaccines developed by state-owned pharmaceutical firm Sinopharm into mass production and this year's output is expected to surpass 1 billion doses.

Ten new imported COVID-19 cases were reported Wednesday on the Chinese mainland, bringing the total number of imported cases to 5,040.

The Chinese mainland reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the National Health Commission said Thursday.

Witnessing a spike in COVID-19 cases as the pandemic continues to rage globally, Kuwait has enforced several measures to contain the spread of the virus.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday criticized Republican governors in southern states of Texas and Mississippi over their decisions to reverse mask mandates and other COVID-19 safety policies, calling these actions "Neanderthal thinking."

China always puts the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines first, a spokesperson for the annual session of the country's top political advisory body said Wednesday.

To fight together with the international community in solidarity against the common health crisis, China has been making an all-out effort to promote the fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, honoring its commitment to making Chinese COVID-19 vaccines a "global public good" accessible and affordable to people around the world.

Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported 14 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, taking its total tally to 11,046.

Studies by Chinese teams on vaccines against COVID-19 variants started a long time ago, a leading Chinese medical scientist has said.

Guyana on Tuesday received a shipment of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government to help the country combat the pandemic.

Some 150,000 medical workers in Laos will get vaccinated against COVID-19 in March and April using the China-donated Sinopharm vaccines, local media reported on Wednesday.

China's drug authorities have approved three Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) medicines designed for COVID-19 treatment to go public after they played important roles in effectively reducing the incidence rate of the disease and speeding up the recovery of patients.

Brazilian football legend Pele has described his COVID-19 vaccination as "unforgettable" and called for global cooperation to end the pandemic.

United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) sets up an art installation called “Pandemic Classroom” outside the UN headquarters, New York, USA, March 2, 2021.

Senegalese Minister of Health and Social Action Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, the first person inoculated with China's Sinopharm vaccine in Senegal, said Tuesday that he is doing well after taking the jab on Feb. 23.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a new research effort to understand how COVID-19 affects children, who have accounted for roughly 13 percent of total confirmed cases in the country.

Over 5 million people in Beijing had received COVID-19 vaccines as of 2 p.m. Tuesday, local authorities said.

Shanghai is expected to inoculate all people aged 60 and above with two doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of September for free. The measure aims to expand immunization of the population based on the national vaccination plan.

Some Chinese cities and provinces including Shanghai and Anhui have set a target to vaccinate 40 to 50 percent of the local population by the end of June, and 80 to 90 percent by the year's end.