BEIJING -- Beijing has seen a major rise in people receiving the flu vaccine this year, according to a Saturday press briefing on epidemic prevention and control.

Over 2.4 million flu vaccine doses had been given as of Dec 11, up 38 percent compared with the total number last year, according to official data released at the press conference.

Among the susceptible population in the city, the number of influenza shots received by primary and secondary school students increased by 27 percent, while the number received by elderly people grew 17 percent, said Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention at the conference.

More residents are willing to receive the vaccine this year, Pang added.

The city has offered free flu vaccines to primary and high school students and local people aged 60 or above since 2007. A total of 480 injection sites, where people can get the flu vaccine at their own expense, have been set up across the city to meet the demand.

Influenza cases have dropped sharply this year in the capital city, thanks to COVID-19 precautions like mask-wearing and flu inoculation.