This photo taken on March 28, 2021 shows teachers and students getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at East China Normal University's Minhang campus stadium in Shanghai. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Some residents of the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions are now eligible for free COVID-19 vaccinations on the Chinese mainland, the State Council's Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism said on Wednesday.

COVID-19 vaccines are available free of charge for people from Hong Kong and Macao who are working or living on the mainland, according to a notice released on the website of the National Health Commission

COVID-19 vaccines are free of charge for people from Hong Kong and Macao who are working or living on the mainland, according to a notice released on the website of the National Health Commission.

They can use either mainland residential permits issued by public security authorities or proof of mainland medical insurance programs to get vaccinated for free on a voluntary basis, and they will enjoy the same policy support as mainland residents, according to the notice.

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"Teachers and students from Hong Kong and Macao now working and studying on the mainland will be treated equally to their mainland counterparts," reads the notice.

They are also entitled to the same treatment and reimbursement policies as mainland residents if showing adverse reaction after inoculation, according to the notice.

Hong Kong and Macao residents who are not included in the mainland vaccination campaign at the moment can pay for vaccines in the future if new policies are rolled out, according to the notice.

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Currently, all mainland residents cleared for use of COVID-19 vaccines can get vaccinated for free, and some cities have begun offering vaccines to foreigners in the country.

With Xinhua inputs