China will ‘hold accountable’ unvaccinated for COVID-19 outbreaks

Chinese authorities in at least a dozen cities have warned that they will “hold accountable” people who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they spread the virus to others.

The warnings came in the form of government notices over the last two weeks amid fears about the highly contagious Delta variant, the New York Times reported.

The authorities claimed they would “hold accountable” unvaccinated residents unless they had a medical exemption — though they did not specify what the punishment would be, the newspaper reported.

In several cities in the Hubei province, residents who didn’t get vaccinated could have that decision impact their “personal credit score” — a social risk-assessment system, the paper reported.

As a result, they could be prohibited from going to work or entering hospitals and train stations.

The country has reported that around 55% of residents are fully vaccinated, but officials said they’re striving for 80% in order for the country to reach herd immunity.

China has administered more than 1.9 billion vaccine doses, according to Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center.