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Coronavirus: China and US reach 200 million vaccine shots but Beijing up against tight supply
- The pace of jabs in China picked up at the urging of the government but the country may struggle to vaccinate 40 per cent of the population by July
- Over 944 million doses have been given worldwide with most delivered to people in wealthier nations
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The number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered by China has topped 200 million, despite supply shortages threatening the country’s goal of giving shots to over half a billion people by July.
The milestone was marked by health officials on Wednesday, the same day US President Joe Biden celebrated reaching 200 million vaccine doses administered in America within his first 100 days in office – double his initial target.
By the end of Wednesday, the US had given more than 215 million doses, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, putting it just ahead of China as the country to have administered the most doses, according to a Bloomberg tally.
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These landmark events come as governments around the world struggle to get enough supplies to protect their populations and the pandemic accelerates, with the World Health Organization reporting on Monday a record high in new weekly infections.
Vaccine inequity between countries remains steep, particularly in recent weeks while a WHO-backed programme to distribute vaccines equitably has faced stark delays because India – which it relied on for much of its supplies – is battling a surge in infections and a shortage of raw materials.
02:06
After ramping up vaccination drive with incentives, China administers 200 million Covid-19 shots
After ramping up vaccination drive with incentives, China administers 200 million Covid-19 shots
India, with a population of 1.36 billion, has so far administered just over 132 million doses, and on Thursday reported more than 300,000 coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours – a global record.
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