March 22 is the first day of the spring semester at the Capital University of Economics and Business (CUEB) in Beijing. Instead of having classes, for many members of staff and students, their priority today is to get the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"About 9,000 people of CUEB have signed up for vaccination so far," said Sun Haozhe, vice president of CUEB. "We plan to get them vaccinated within the first week of school."

Sun said the vaccination at CUEB is expected to cover over 80 percent of the school's staff and students.

A temporary vaccination area was set up in the gym, divided into registration, inoculation, and medical observation areas. Everyone coming for the shot, from the school president to students, waited in order. Seeing that school leaders and teachers have taken the lead in the vaccination, the students said they are more confident to get the jab.

"Before the vaccination was widely available, I didn't have a chance to get my jab. So I can't miss it this time, as it's available right at school," said freshman Sun Xiaohan. She got her first Sinopharm jab today. She was a bit nervous getting the shot, but after 30 minutes of medical observation, she said she felt okay.

"As a student, I can't help much in the fight against the epidemic. But I want to get vaccinated and make a small contribution to campus safety while protecting myself," freshman Zhou Junchi told CGTN.

China is ramping up efforts to vaccinate 560 million people, or 40 percent of the country's population, by the end of June. In March, over a dozen universities in Beijing, including Tshinghua University, Peking University, Beihang University have also vaccinated thousands of their returning staff and students. For those eager to get back to their normal school life, many believe vaccinations are a step in the right direction.