A medical worker injects COVID-19 vaccine to an inoculator at the vaccination point of the Shandong Provincial Third Hospital in Jinan, east China's Shandong province, Jan 4, 2021. (GUO XULEI / XINHUA)

BEIJING - More than 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in China since the country launched its vaccination program in December last year, China's health authorities said Wednesday.

China is facing rising risks of COVID-19 epidemic as cluster cases have emerged in some parts of the country ahead of the Spring Festival holiday, a health official said 

After vaccinating key population groups, including medical personnel, transportation workers and workers at border ports, China will push forward mass vaccination at a steady pace, said Wang Bin, an official with the National Health Commission, at a press conference.

To ensure the vaccination program progresses smoothly, the country's health authorities have sent groups of medical experts to help regional authorities develop practical vaccination plans, said Wang.

In addition, the vaccination procedures have been strictly standardized and full precautions are taken, said Wang, adding that the recipients' health conditions are checked, their identities verified and the validity of the doses confirmed in accordance with procedure.

Rising Risks

China is facing rising risks of COVID-19 epidemic as cluster cases have emerged in some parts of the country ahead of the Spring Festival holiday, a health official said.

A total of 757 locally transmitted cases occurred in the Chinese mainland over the past week, said Mi Feng with the National Health Commission (NHC) at a press conference in Beijing.

The number of close contacts under medical observation reached a ten-month record high, he added.

The newly reported cluster cases mainly occurred in rural areas, Mi said, adding the virus spread in families, communities and schools posed a challenge to the disease containment effort.

400b yuan

China spent more than 400 billion yuan (US$61.73 billion) of fiscal funds on fighting COVID-19 by the end of November 2020, the Ministry of Finance said.

The fiscal system has given top priority to funds for fighting COVID-19 so that people will not be deterred by the cost of medical treatment, said Finance Minister Liu Kun in an online speech released Wednesday. Due to the availability of funds, Liu added, local governments will not be hampered by the cost of medical treatment and epidemic control.

Facing remarkable challenges in 2020, the fiscal system has explored ways to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the economy, Liu said.

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