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BEIJING: A city in China’s Zhejiang province will offer experimental coronavirus vaccines to its residents as China expands an emergency use program to people in non-priority groups.
Residents aged 18 to 59 in the city of Shaoxing, who are not in priority groups, can apply for the vaccine online, the city’s health commission said on Tuesday (October 20) on its WeChat account. He did not mention the vaccine, nor did he say when the inoculation would begin or how many doses would be offered.
READ: China says WHO blessed COVID-19 vaccine emergency use program
Hundreds of thousands of people have already taken experimental COVID-19 vaccines in China since it launched its emergency use program in July targeting essential workers and other limited groups of people at increased risk of infection. The use of vaccines that are still under study has raised safety concerns among experts.
Last week, Zhejiang became the first Chinese province to offer voluntary inoculation to non-priority residents through the emergency use program, without specifying how many people will be vaccinated.
READ: China rapidly expanding use of COVID-19 experimental vaccines
Shaoxing residents who choose to be inoculated will be required to give reasons for wanting the vaccine in their applications and will be charged 400 yuan (US $ 60) for two doses, with an additional inoculation fee of 28 yuan per dose, the city said.
It was not immediately clear if the city will screen applicants based on these reasons or if costs could be subsidized. Shaoxing’s health commission did not respond to requests for comment.
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