(Yicai Global) March 24 -- China’s Covid-19 vaccination program has given out 82.8 million doses, the National Health Commission said today. The country has also initiated a reporting system to update nationwide vaccination data every day to advance the program.

“The country must have more of its people gain immunity through vaccination,” an epidemiologist told Yicai Global, because “the pandemic will continue for a long time given the current global situation, and China is likely to have reoccurrences or even outbreaks at any time because of imported cases.”

“Daily reporting can effectively promote the coronavirus vaccination program,” the person said.

China is expanding vaccinations from targeted high-risk individuals to ordinary people, but is “still in the preparation stage and not making the desired progress,” according to a grass-roots inoculation program staffer in East China’s Anhui province.

“We have problems mobilizing people and with vaccination capacity,” the staffer added. “It’s incredibly difficult.”

More vaccination venues and equipment are need, the staffer noted, adding that the key problem is the lack of people who can give jabs, with doctors and nurses in medical institutions also needed for support.

Some local governments have set up makeshift sites to speed the process. “Building and expanding vaccination sites costs money, and the government has paid all the money and bought new vaccination equipment,” Wang Yanling from the disease prevention and control department of Shandong Dongying Health Committee told Yicai Global.

“We’ve also formed teams for medical treatment as well as abnormal reaction investigation and diagnosis to avoid allergies and tackle emergencies or abnormal situations,” Wang said.

Shanghai will start offering shots to its non-Chinese residents on March 29. Foreigners in the city who are willing to get vaccinated can make reservations online.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Tom Litting