A CHINESE health official has said that the country’s annual production capacity for coronavirus vaccines will top one billion doses next year.

The goal follows an aggressive government support programme for the construction of new factories to produce a vaccine.

Capacity is expected to reach 610 million doses this year, Zheng Zhongwei of the National Health Commission said.

“Next year, our annual capacity will reach more than one billion doses,” Zhongwei said at a news conference.

American firms are also aiming for a billion doses in 2021.