A staff member displays a sample of the COVID-19 inactivated vaccine at a vaccine production plant of China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) in Beijing, capital of China, April 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

A Chinese company in the civil aviation industry is encouraging its workers to take China-made vaccinations amid the latest COVID-19 outbreak stemming from a wholesale food market in Beijing.

The Global Times has learned that Beijing-based China TravelSky Holding Co, an aviation and travel information technology solutions provider, has suggested its employees voluntarily receive a China-made vaccine supplied by the China National Pharmaceutical Group. 

Vaccinations will be prioritized for frontline research and development (R&D) staff, airport terminal workers, overseas travelers, virus control teams and residents from medium and high-risk communities in Beijing, the company said. 

However, China TravelSky added that others can also voluntarily sign up for the vaccine.

The state-owned company said the vaccine R&D has made key progress, and the vaccines, with sound safety and effect, meet the conditions for emergency vaccination.

TravelSky is the third largest global distribution system (GDS) in the world, and has the world's largest Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) data processing center.

The Global Times earlier reported that employees of state-owned enterprises preparing to go abroad have been offered a choice of two domestically developed inactivated vaccines for emergency use, with both shots having demonstrated safety in human trials. 

A COVID-19 vaccine could be ready for emergency use by September, said Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Gao Fu on April 23. 

Sinopharm said on May 29 that clinical data from more than 2,000 cases of the two inactivated vaccines showed that the safety and immunoreactions of the vaccine have been fully verifi ed, with no obvious adverse reactions.

As of Tuesday, Beijing has reported a total of 557 confirmed cases, with 411 patients discharged from hospital and nine deaths.