Chinese health officials have announced that more than one billion people have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in the world’s most populous country, or about 72 per cent of its 1.4 billion people.

By Wednesday, 2.1 billion vaccine doses had been administered and 1.01 billion people had been fully vaccinated, National Health Commission spokesperson Mi Feng said at a news conference.

China has largely stopped the spread of the coronavirus by imposing restrictions and mass testing whenever new cases are found. It also limits entry to the country and requires people who arrive to quarantine in a hotel for at least two weeks.