In this file photo, a staff member displays samples of the COVID-19 inactivated vaccine at Sinovac Biotech Ltd., in Beijing, capital of China, March 16, 2020. (ZHANG YUWEI / XINHUA)

BEIJING - China's total annual production capacity of COVID-19 vaccines will likely reach 610 million doses by the end of the year, a Chinese official said on Tuesday.

The production capacity will continue to expand next year to meet the demand for COVID-19 vaccines in China and other countries, said Zheng Zhongwei, with the National Health Commission, at a news conference in Beijing.

As a public product, the vaccines will be priced according to the cost rather than supply and demand, Zheng said. The price of China's COVID-19 vaccines will be acceptable to the public, he added.

Priority for receiving vaccines should be given to certain people with a high risk of exposure to the virus, Zheng said. 

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