Government and Policy

Over 100 million Chinese get H1N1 flu shots

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-05-14 20:41

BEIJING - More than 100 million Chinese have been vaccinated against A(H1N1) flu, Health Minister Chen Zhu said Friday.

"We have achieved progress in the fight against A(H1N1) influenza," Chen said at a meeting in Beijing, at which health workers were rewarded for their research into A(H1N1) flu vaccine.

So far, about 800 deaths from A(H1N1) influenza had been reported in China, far below the death rate in the US considering the large population of China, Chen said.

US authorities have confirmed more than 10,000 deaths from the flu.

But Chen warned it was still too early to say the virus had passed as cases were reported occasionally in other countries and places.

"China has more than 20 million doses of A(H1N1) vaccines in store, and pharmaceutical manufacturers are always ready for production," Chen said, adding that was enough to cope with any new epidemic situation.

The A(H1N1) virus was first identified in Mexico in April 2009. More than 211 countries and regions have reported laboratory confirmed cases of the flu, including more than 18,000 deaths.