China says Xi Jinping given local Covid jab as it seeks to ease vaccine safety fears

Rare disclosure comes as China struggles to increase elderly immunisation rates amid online rumours of side-effects

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China's Covid-19 vaccines are safe and have been given to leaders of the state and ruling Communist party, officials said, as Beijing steps up efforts to allay public concerns about safety that risk hampering its vaccination drive.

China's state and party leaders have all been vaccinated against Covid-19 with domestically made shots," said Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the National Health Commission, on Saturday.