China to advance development of multivalent, novel vaccines: official

BEIJING -- China will continue to advance the research and development of multivalent and novel vaccines, said an official of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration on Tuesday.

Li Xiaocui, an official of immunization planning at the administration, said at a press conference that efforts would be made to guide and support the transformation of research outcomes related to vaccines based on disease prevention needs and vaccine demand.

The administration will accelerate the promotion of electronic vaccination certificates and facilitate the cross-provincial sharing of immunization data, Li said.

She added that the administration had ordered further optimization of vaccination services and encouraged local authorities to innovate service models to meet the diverse vaccination needs of the public.

Li also noted that the coverage rate of vaccines included in the national immunization program among eligible children in China had consistently remained above 90 percent.