SHANGHAI — Shanghai has started administering a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese company CanSino Biologics, according to local health authorities.

The inoculation drive was launched on May 13. By May 17, the city had administered 23,154 people with the vaccine in nine districts, according to the municipal disease prevention and control center.

Different from the three types of inactivated vaccines previously used in the city, the recombinant COVID-19 vaccine (adenovirus type 5 vector) utilizes different manufacturing techniques, which results in the different dosages required, the center said.

Based on the results from clinical trials and the performance under emergency use and following the general rollout, all the vaccines granted conditional market approval have demonstrated a good safety profile, the center added.

"The single-dose vaccine is much more convenient than the previous vaccines," said Dong Zhiyue, a 22-year-old university student who received a shot on May 18.

Multiple inoculation sites in the city have reported a significant rise in the number of people inquiring about the single-dose vaccine, especially those with busy schedules.

In a sports center in Jing'an district, the inoculation of the vaccine started on May 14. So far, 1,398 doses have been administered, with no reports of adverse events to date, according to the local health workers.