BEIJING — China will erect an immunity barrier against COVID-19 via high vaccination rates, an immunization expert said.

Wang Huaqing, chief expert on the immunization program at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told a press conference on Dec 21 that research indicates the herd immunity threshold for novel coronavirus is about 70 percent.

Key population groups are receiving the vaccination first, which will later be expanded to other groups in the country, Wang said, adding that an immunity barrier is established when vaccination rates are sufficiently high.