BEIJING — China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) has vowed to further beef up efforts against COVID-19 importation and firmly prevent coronavirus transmission through entry and exit channels.

The NIA issued the statement while releasing the entry and exit figures for the first half of this year on July 30.

During this period, the NIA provided early warnings involving personnel entering from high-risk regions, and facilitated the verification of more than 4,500 confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases and their close contacts.

The NIA also stepped up epidemic information sharing with neighboring countries.

Around 85,000 people were seized for illegal entry and exit during this period, NIA figures showed.