China: Less than 30% of older people received COVID-19 booster dose in Beijing

Beijing authorities reported that less than 30% of people over 80 received a booster dose of the flu vaccine. COVID-19during the time when Chinese capital faced one of the most serious outbreaks since the beginning pandemic.

Two patients, aged 52 and 89, who are currently in serious condition, did not receive their third dose, Liu Xiaofeng, deputy director of the city’s Center for Disease Control, said on Tuesday, quoted by local media today.

Liu noted the “low” proportion of people over 60 who received a booster dose and urged older residents get a vaccination “as soon as possible”.

Beijing The population is more than 20 million inhabitants, of which about 600,000 people are over 80 years old.

The capital is dealing with a resurgence that has already resulted in more than 3,000 positives and three deaths over the weekend, the first reported covid in six months in Chinastill clinging to politics’zero covid’.

Inhabitants Beijing they must undergo PCR tests at all times, given that in public places the test result must be presented in an application on a mobile phone. PCR test refusal made within the previous 48 hours to gain access.

Low vaccination rates among elderly peopleone of the most vulnerable groups, but also one of the most reluctant to vaccinate, is one of the Achilles’ heels in China’s strategy.

COVID-19 infections

The Asian country is currently dealing with one of the largest outbreaks COVID-19 first pandemicwhich leaves positive results in almost all provinces of the territory and restrictions in cities such as Chongqing (center) or Canton (southeast), although the authorities have so far managed to avoid a complete confinement like that registered in Shanghai (east) of the last spring.

86% of Chinese over 60 received a full schedule this month, according to official figures. vaccinationalthough the percentage decreases if the group over 80 is consulted (65.7%), and the proportion of older people over 80 who received a booster dose is even lower (40%).

The numbers represent a mole in an apparently successful immunization campaign. Chinawhich has vaccinated over 91% of its population of over 1400 million with two doses.

Chinese elders who had no sense of urgency given the low level infections in the country over the past two years they have not been first in line for injections, in contrast to what has happened in other countries.

Some local governments have offered discount coupons, gifts or even cash in recent months to persuade older people to join. vaccinate.

Politics ‘zero covid’, which consists in the isolation of all infected, strict border controls, PCR tests the constants for the urban population and the conclusions in which cases are detected have remained in place since the beginning of 2020 in the Asian country, despite symptoms of exhaustion among the population in recent months, which have led to recent riots in cities such as the aforementioned Canton.

Recently, China made adjustments to its protocols to deal with the pandemic, and the executive branch advised against routine tests PCR the entire population of a city or region.

He also criticized practices such as collecting samples from residents twice a day, which have recently taken place in some cities, as “unscientific”.

Asian country today reported nearly 30,000 new infections the day before. According to official figures, 5,231 people have died in Russia since the start of the pandemic. Chinawhose authorities claim that “zero covid” has saved millions of lives.

EFE