A resident is inoculated at a vaccination site at Yongdinglu Sub-district of Haidian District in Beijing, China, March 14, 2021. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

China has expanded the target population for COVID-19 vaccination to include people aged 60 years old and above, the National Health Commission said Thursday.

People aged 18 and above are covered under the current vaccination program, said a document on COVID-19 vaccination issued by the commission on its official website.

It is recommended that people aged 60 and above get vaccinated as they are at high risk of severe symptoms and death after being infected with the virus, said the document.