China has handed out its experimental coronavirus vaccine to Shaoxing city in the Zhejiang province of the country. The vaccine costs £50, as per media reports.
This comes as China decided to extend its emergency vaccine use programme to non-priority group people, the city’s health commission said on its WeChat account.
The country did not reveal the name of the vaccine nor about the number of doses.
The health administration stated that residents aged between 18 and 59 who are not in priority groups can apply online for inoculation.
Also read: AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine: Volunteer dies, but the trial will continue, says Brazil
The city’s health admin wrote that people who are applying for inoculation will be charged 400 yuan (£50) for two doses, with an additional inoculation fee of 28 yuan (around £3) per dose.
The health administration of the Zhejiang province said that the dispersal of vaccines is limited in terms of recipients and is in line with the law and safety protocols.
Also read: Very large portion of Covid-19 vaccines likely to be manufactured in India: Gates Foundation CEO
Speaking at a press conference, Zheng Zhongwei, an official from the National Health Commission (NHC) in charge of technology development, said as cited in the Global Times report: “We made a very careful expert demonstration in order to advance the emergency use of the coronavirus vaccines, which was led by a group of experts in the law, ethics and in clinical trials.”
According to Johns Hopkins, China had reported 11 new Covid-19 cases recently, out of a combined total of 91,030 since the coronavirus pandemic began in the country. Reported deaths from the disease stand at 4,739 in the country.