Shanghai will progressively offer residents aged between 12 and 17 free COVID-19 vaccinations, the city government announced on Aug 11.

The inclusion of teenagers in the vaccination drive is to allow the youth community to gain a certain level of immunity and thus effectively reduce the risk of morbidity and occurrence of severe cases and deaths, said the office in charge of the city's COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control efforts.

"Inoculation is of great significance to the strengthening of the immune barrier among youths and the entire society, and would help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus," the office stated in a post on the official WeChat account of the information office of the municipal government.

According to the office, vaccination reservation for teenagers aged between 15 and 17 will begin on Aug 12. The parents of these teenagers should make an appointment through the Health Cloud app and accompany their children during the vaccination.

Individuals will receive the domestically developed vaccines by either Sinopharm or Sinovac. The vaccination involves two shots, administered 14 to 56 days apart.

The post stated that the vaccination date for those aged from 12 to 14 will be announced later.

The vaccination drive for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents in this age group may take place at a later date.