China will provide COVID-19 vaccines free of charge once they become available to the general public, government authorities said.

Zheng Zhongwei, National Health Commission official said that while manufacturing and transport of vaccines have costs, the government can provide vaccines for free to individuals.

“Our people don’t have to pay a single cent for the vaccine,” Zheng told a press event in Beijing.

China in late December approved its first vaccine for general public use. Three vaccines had already been given to limited groups at high risk of infection, including medical workers, through an emergency-use programme.

Those vaccinations are also free for individuals, said National Health Commission official Zeng Yixin.

“We had found some local governments had charged individuals fees, we … demanded immediate rectification,” Zeng told the briefing, adding that local governments have since properly implemented the free vaccination policy.

China has administered more than nine million COVID-19 vaccine doses, Zeng said. Of that total, over seven million were administered since mid-December.