Over 19m vaccine doses given in Wuhan

The city of Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, has administered more than 19 million COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Sunday, with nearly 9 million people fully vaccinated, said the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission.

The city, with a population of over 13.5 million, has given a total of 18.9 million doses to people age 18 and above, and over 347,000 doses to minors between the ages of 12 to 17, according to statistics from the commission.

Wuhan, the Chinese city hit hardest by the virus last year, began giving COVID-19 vaccines to minors between the ages of 12 to 17 since July, said community officials.

In order to reduce wait time and accommodate to minors' schedules, multiple shifts and opening hours were implemented at vaccination sites in conjunction with epidemic prevention measures, community officials said.

For the elderly and the sick, vaccination sites were often set in community hospitals so assessment and urgent care services can be easily accessible.

"Many elderly have underlying health issues. For people with illnesses such as malignant tumors and cardiovascular problems, we need to conduct multiple assessments to confirm whether they can receive a vaccine," said an official at Jinyintan Hospital, a designated vaccination site for people age 70 or above.

"After seniors took their vaccines, we carry out follow-up measures such as phone calls and home visits to make sure there are no adverse reactions," the official said. "We will not rest until everyone is confirmed to be OK."