Beijing has registered 26 deaths among the 9,007 people infected by the A/H1N1 flu so far, the municipal health bureau said Tuesday.

Of all the infected cases, including 8,655 Beijing people and 352 from overseas, 80 were in critical condition, said Zhao Tao, a disease control official with the bureau.

The overall development trend of the flu remained stable, and a large-scale outbreak of the disease was unlikely in Beijing in the near future, according to the bureau.

Zhao said in addition to permanent residents of Beijing, those holding temporary resident certificates or documents issued by their residential communities or work places were able to get free vaccination against the flu in 402 designated hospitals.

Almost 1.8 million people had been inoculated against the virus in the city so far, half of whom were students, said Zhao.

The Ministry of Health said on its website Tuesday that 21.18 million people had been inoculated against the A/H1N1 flu nationwide as of Monday.

The ministry has been releasing vaccination information on a daily basis.

As of November 15, almost 70,000 A/H1N1 flu cases had been reported on the Chinese mainland, with 53 deaths in total, according to the ministry.

(Xinhua News Agency November 25, 2009)