Shanghai expands vaccination drive to youngsters

Shanghai will start including local residents between 12 and 14 in its free voluntary COVID-19 vaccination drive, the municipal government announced on Tuesday.

The online reservation channel will open on 8 pm Wednesday. Inoculation of youngsters will officially kick off on Friday.

Shanghai began including teenagers between 15 and 17 into the vaccination reservation on Aug 12. The health authority clarified juveniles must be accompanied by parents or guardians when getting immunized.

"Vaccination is essential to enhancing personal and herd immunity among youths and the entire society. It can effectively reduce the risks of morbidity, suffering from severe cases and deaths as well as block the spread of the contagion," the office of the city's COVID-19 prevention and control said in an online post.

Shanghai has roughly 600,000 residents aged between 12 and 17.

The minors will receive domestic vaccines by either Sinopharm or Sinovac Biotech. The vaccination involves two shots.

Vaccination reservations for residents between 12 and 17 from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan will also initiate at 8 pm Wednesday, the city government said.

They will receive the inoculations for free, just as their local peers do.