Over 1.7 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in China as of Tuesday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said Wednesday.

With a population of over 1.41 billion people, China aims to achieve herd immunity as early as the end of this year through mass vaccinations, according to the NHC.

To achieve the goal, 83.3 percent of the total population need to be vaccinated, China's top respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan said on July 31 at an event in south China's Guangzhou City.

That means about 1.17 billion people need to be fully inoculated. Considering the majority of people in China receive shots developed by drug maker Sinopharm or Sinovac, both of which required two injections, a total of 2.34 billion doses of vaccines need to be administered in China to achieve herd immunity.

Zhong also said that Chinese vaccines currently in use are effective against the more transmissible Delta variant and very safe.

To speed up the pace, temporary vaccination sites were set up at shopping centers, railways stations, university campuses, office buildings and residential communities across China. And mobile vaccination vehicles were dispatched to make inoculation more convenient for residents.