Children as young as 3 will start receiving COVID-19 vaccines in China, where 76 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated and authorities are maintaining a zero-tolerance policy toward outbreaks.
China becomes one of the very few countries in the world to start vaccinating children that young against the virus.
Cuba, for one, has begun a vaccine drive for children as young as 2.
The US and many European countries allow COVID-19 shots down to age 12, though the US is moving quickly toward opening vaccinations to 5- to 11-year-olds.
Local city and provincial level governments in at least five Chinese provinces issued notices in recent days announcing that children ages 3 to 11 will be required to get their vaccinations.
The expansion of the vaccination campaign comes as parts of China take new clampdown measures to try to stamp out small outbreaks.
