More than 1.5 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered across China as of Thursday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said Friday.

China accelerated its pace of free COVID-19 vaccinations for the whole nation in late March. By June 19, more than one billion doses had been administered in the country, and by July 13, the number surpassed 1.4 billion.

As of July 8, a total of 22 COVID-19 vaccines had entered clinical trials in the country. Four vaccines had been granted conditional marketing approval and three had been authorized for emergency use.

China's mass vaccination campaign currently mainly targets adults aged over 18. By mid-July, a number of provinces, regions and municipalities had announced they will phase in COVID-19 vaccination for minors aged between 12 and 17.

(With input from Xinhua)