Seniors roll up sleeves to get COVID vaccine jabs

BEIJING — In Shijingshan district in Beijing, a task force comprised of medics and community workers is busy offering door-to-door vaccination services to elderly residents to help them fend off COVID-19 infections.

"We first do a health assessment, asking them about their underlying health conditions and medical histories," said Luo Yan, a team member from Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University.

Based on the health assessment and with the informed consent of their family members, those eligible will get a jab at home.

In China, almost 87 percent of people aged over 60 have been fully vaccinated, but only 66.4 percent of people over the age of 80 have completed a full course of vaccination.

In late November, the country released a work plan to improve the vaccination rate among the elderly. Most of the requirements raised in the work plan have been translated into action, with "green lanes" and movable vaccination stations set up in many cities and more efforts devoted to increasing health awareness and keeping a close watch on the health condition of seniors.

Earlier this week, the government announced a second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to vulnerable groups who had received their first booster shot more than six months ago.

Efforts were also stepped up to help dispel people's related misunderstandings about the vaccine. Wang Huaqing, a leading Chinese immunologist, pointed out that not many people aged 60 and above have had adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccination.

In the southern city of Guangzhou, community workers and volunteers have helped the elderly dispel their misconceptions and allay their fears of getting vaccine jabs.

An elderly resident surnamed Ye said she and her husband were worried that their underlying health conditions would make them unsuitable for vaccination. But after hearing expert advice, they changed their minds and both got inoculated.

"Now we see that our concerns before were unnecessary," Ye said.

Zhong Nanshan, one of China's leading epidemiologists, said the push for vaccination among the elderly is necessary at the moment as the annual Spring Festival travel rush is about to begin. The upcoming Chinese New Year, the most cherished festival by the Chinese, falls on Jan 22.

"After the vaccination takes effect in two weeks, the elderly will be better protected when the youngsters return home for the holiday," he said.