China is rolling out a world-leading 20 million COVID-19 vaccine doses a day, and more than 40% of the nation’s vast population has had at least one homegrown shot. But as other countries move to reopen to the world, it seems to be in no hurry to turn the page on the pandemic.
After a lackluster start dogged by hesitancy and some supply shortages, China has now administered more than 660 million vaccine doses, putting the country’s 1.4 billion people on track for herd immunity territory in just a few months. In Beijing, more than 80% of people have had at least one dose, according to data from the municipal health authority reported by local media.
Yet China — which has both eliminated transmission of the virus locally and achieved a substantial level of vaccination — is yet to signal any intention of shifting away from its COVID-19 playbook of closed borders, strict quarantines for foreign arrivals and aggressive lockdowns when flare-ups return. Despite only one COVID-19 fatality in the last 13 months and growing protection from inoculations, top officials maintain aggressive rhetoric when talking about the risks the virus still poses.