BEIJING — More than 80.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered across China as of March 22, according to the latest figures released by the State Council's COVID-19 response inter-agency task force.

The country's inoculated population has seen steady growth, the task force said.

In the next step, China plans to speed up its universal, free-of-charge immunization program, expanding its coverage from people at higher risk for COVID-19 to the general public, according to the task force.

A widespread concentrated vaccination, which will be the largest ever, is in the offing, it added.

Priorities will be given to people in key sectors, including medicine and health, traffic and education, and at key workplaces, such as supermarkets, large-sized enterprises and office buildings.

Vaccination has been kicked off among people aged above 60 in some regions, said the task force. A progressive expansion is expected.

Manuals will be developed to provide instructions for the vaccination of those with chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

China's daily vaccine output has climbed to 5 million doses from 1.5 million doses in February, said the task force, as notable progress has been made in the country's vaccine R&D and production.