Cannavaro receives Chinese COVID-19 vaccine

GUANGZHOU, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Italian football legend Fabio Cannavaro was given one shot of a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine here on Monday.

The 48-year-old posted a video on his Weibo account showing him being given the vaccine at a clinic, saying "Finally given the first shot of Chinese vaccine! Thank you China".

Cannavaro, who won the FIFA World Cup as captain of Italy in 2006, is now head coach of Chinese Super League (CSL) club Guangzhou FC.

The 2021 CSL began on April 20 with some 30,000 spectators in attendance, marking the largest audience for a football match since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the sporting world last year.

All players and coaching staff of Guangzhou FC have received at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccine, according to the club.

China has been promoting vaccination among the public in order to help the country achieve immunity from COVID-19. Over 317 million doses of vaccines have been administered in China as of Saturday, the country's National Health Commission said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday validated the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese firm Sinopharm for emergency use.