By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ANKARA (AA) – China on Tuesday said it has administered over 1.2 billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccines, the most in any country in the world.
As of June 28, 31 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities under the central government have given a total of 1.206 billion doses, the National Health Commission said in a statement.
According to Our World in Data tracking website, at least 223 million people in China have been fully vaccinated. As many as 2.96 billion doses have been administered globally.
The world’s most populous nation, where coronavirus was first detected in December 2019, began a mass immunization drive this January.
It is only administering vaccines developed by local pharmaceutical companies, two of which – Sinovac and Sinopharm – have also been approved by the World Health Organization.
As part of its 'vaccine diplomacy,' China has exported and donated vaccines to more than 66 countries, as well as international organizations.
After China, the US, India, Brazil, the UK, Germany, Italy and Turkey have given the most vaccine shots.