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BEIJING – Thousands of people lined up in Beijing on Monday to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as China rushes to inoculate millions ahead of the Chinese New Year’s mass travel season in February.
More than 73,000 people in the Chinese capital have received the first dose of the vaccine in recent days, state media reported Sunday, including community workers and bus drivers.
On New Year’s Eve, health authorities gave “conditional” approval to a candidate vaccine made by Chinese pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm, which the company said had an efficacy rate of 79 percent.
An AFP journalist saw people being taken by bus to a temporary vaccination center in a central park, after being instructed to fill out electronic forms about their health and any allergies on an outside door.
Some wore two layers of surgical masks.
A man surnamed Gu, a catering worker in his 30s, told AFP that his employer had booked him an appointment to get vaccinated at the center and that he wanted the vaccine “for his peace of mind.”
“I think any adverse effects will be controllable,” he said.
Footage from the state broadcaster CCTV showed queues outside local hospitals and community health centers as people waited to read consent forms and take their temperatures before being hit.
Health officials said empty gyms and factories were among the centers that were used for the vaccination program.
China plans to vaccinate millions this winter in the run-up to the Lunar New Year in mid-February.
Beijing has already administered about 4.5 million doses of largely untested emergency vaccines this year, mainly to healthcare workers and other state employees posted to overseas jobs, according to authorities.
But China now plans a gradual launch of the vaccine starting with key groups considered to be at high risk of exposure to the virus, including port and food logistics workers and people planning to return to study abroad.
China, where the coronavirus appeared in late 2019, has largely eliminated the virus within its borders, introducing swift local closures and massive testing when cases arise.
But the country has stepped up testing and movement controls after a recent series of small local outbreaks, including some cases in Beijing. – French Media Agency
