Beijing offering COVID-19 booster shots four months ahead of Olympics
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People who are 18 or older, and have received two-dose Chinese vaccines and belong to at-risk groups, including those participating, organising or working on games facilities, would be eligible for the additional shot
As per local media reports, authorities in China have started offering booster shots against the deadly coronavirus disease in Beijing and surrounding regions. This comes four months before the capital city hosts the Winter Olympics.
People who are 18 or older, and have received two-dose Chinese vaccines and belong to at-risk groups, including those participating, organising or working on games facilities, would be eligible for the additional shot.
Beijing rolled out its booster campaign earlier this week.
The games will begin on February 4 with only residents of China allowed in the stands.
Indoor events with sliding, skiing and jumping will be held in the suburb of Yanqing and the neighbouring city of Zhangjiakou.
China has so far reported 96,665 cases, 4,636 deaths, 91,511 recoveries and 518 active cases due to the viral disease. On Thursday, the country reported 43 new cases. Out of this, 28 were locally transmitted.
To get rid of a new outbreak, which has been linked to a group of tourists, authorities in China have closed schools, cancelled hundreds of flights and have ramped up mass testing.
According to reports by AFP, the new outbreak is traced to an elderly couple who were in a group of other tourists. They had started their trip in Shanghai before going to Xi'an, Gansu province and Inner Mongolia.