BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- More than 9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in China, said a senior health official at a press conference on Saturday.

Starting Dec. 15, China officially launched the COVID-19 vaccination program for this winter-spring period targeting a number of key groups, including those engaged in handling imported cold-chain products, customs officers, medical workers and people working in public transport and fresh markets.

Since then, more than 7.5 million doses have been inoculated among these key groups, said Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the National Health Commission.

With the previous 1.6 million doses targeting groups with high risks of infection, a total of over 9 million doses have been inoculated in China, Zeng said.