Hainan starts COVID-19 vaccinations for teenagers

Hainan started inoculating people aged 12 to 17 with COVID-19 vaccines on July 26, according to the Hainan Provincial Heath Commission.

As of July 24, 14.4 million doses of vaccines have been administered in Hainan, and 73.6 million have been vaccinated with first doses and 70.3 million with second doses.

All teenagers aged between 12 and 17 years old in Hainan are eligible for vaccination, whether they are enrolled in school or not. Because they are minors, they should be accompanied by school staff or their guardians, and provide a consent form signed by the guardians when receiving vaccines.

People aged 15 to 17 will be vaccinated first, and receive their first dose of the vaccine by the end of July. In August, people aged 12 to 14 can receive their first dose and those aged 15 to 17 will get their second dose. All people aged 12 to 17 should finish vaccinations by the end of September.

Students can be vaccinated at school under the organization of the school or the district where the school is located. Those not enrolled in school, or students studying abroad, can go to the designated vaccination sites to get vaccinated with the supervision of their guardians.

The vaccines that will be used are products made by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products and Sinovac Biotech.

Both of the aforementioned vaccines are safe for minors. Each person should get two doses of the vaccine, and the first and the second doses should be administered at least 21 days apart, and 56 days apart at most.

There is no difference for minors and adults, in terms of the amount and types of vaccines. In addition, COVID-19 vaccine and other type of vaccines are required to be administered at least 14 days apart.

Before vaccination, parents should learn the important facts about COVID-19 vaccination, bring proper ID, and read and sign the consent form. Remember to wear masks and ask children to wear loose clothes so that the vaccination can be done more easily.

The province will carry out the vaccination for minors aged 3 to 11 according to national guidelines, the development of the pandemic, the demands of the pandemic control, and needs of the specific group.