Only around 65% of people over the age of 80 have been fully vaccinated in China, with the uptake of booster doses being even lower at around 40%.
China’s National Health Commission on Tuesday unveiled plans to improve Covid-19 vaccination rates among the elderly—a cohort that remains highly vulnerable to the virus due to very low uptake of vaccines—as it faces growing calls from experts to rethink its zero Covid strategy and its narrow focus on harsh lockdowns and repeated mass testing.
Elderly people who refuse vaccination will have to provide a reason and officials will be required to keep a record of it. The public health body has also ordered local officials to tap into various databases such as the ones keeping track of social security, medical insurance, and resident health records to effectively target seniors for vaccinations.
Other plans outlined include better monitoring for potential adverse reactions and publicizing the effectiveness of vaccines. The announcement was welcomed by the markets, with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange’s Hang Seng Index jumping more than 5.2% and Shanghai’s Composite Index rising more than 2.3%38,645 new cases—both symptomatic and asymptomatic— on Tuesday, the fifth continuous day of more than 35,000 cases.65.7%.
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