China says it has vaccinated 1 billion people

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese health officials say more than 1 billion people have been fully vaccinated in the world’s most populous country. That represents 72% of its 1.4 billion people. A National Health Commission spokesperson says 2.16 billion doses have been administered and 1.01 billion people have been fully vaccinated. The announcement comes as China battles a new outbreak of the delta variant in the southeastern province of Fujian, where 200 cases have been confirmed in the past six days. China has largely stopped the spread of the coronavirus by imposing restrictions and mass testing whenever new cases are found.