Your concerns on latest COVID-19 developments

Shanghai health authorities have answered some commonly asked questions about returning from other parts of the country, including high- and medium-risk areas, and COVID-19 prevention and control.

Q: What should people do after returning from a high- or medium-risk area?

A: They are advised to go immediately to a medial institution for a nucleic acid test if they, or their families, have been to a high- or medium-risk area.

There are currently 156 nucleic acid test sites in Shanghai. Residents can make online reservation through information released on the Suishenban and Healthcare Cloud apps.

If people develop a fever or have a cough, they should go to the fever clinic as soon as possible.

Q: What should people do if they need to visit a hospital?

A: They should wear masks and have their temperature, health QR code, travel history and epidemiological history checked before entering the hospital.

Q: Can people still visit patients in the hospital?

A: Hospitals in Shanghai have tightened measures for medical visits and ward visits since August 2. People who need to visit or accompany inpatients should provide such documents as vaccination reports and negative nucleic acid test report which should be obtained in the city within three days.

Q: What should people do to prevent becoming infected?

A: Although Delta is a hyper-contagious variant of COVID-19, its transmission route remains the same (droplet transmission, contact infection and aerosol transmission). Residents are advised to follow personal protection measures more strictly, including getting vaccinations, wearing masks correctly (covering nose, mouth and chins), washing hands frequently and social distancing.

Q: Can people buy medicine by themselves when they have a fever or headache?

A: For those who want to purchase antipyretic or cough medicine, pharmacy staff will first ask for some information, such as patients' symptoms and their travel history in the past month.

All buyers of antipyretic or cough medicine are required to show their ID card and make real-name registration on the city's medicine monitoring and management system, as well as the city's Suishenban app, the administration said.

Shanghai's drug watchdog reminds residents not to use medicine without consultation. They should wear a medical mask and go to the fever clinic in time.

Q: What should people do when calling an ambulance?

A: They need to strictly follow the epidemic prevention and control measures, including providing travel history, health QR code, and nucleic acid test result of themselves and their families.

Also, people traveling in ambulances can basically be accompanied by only one family member, and they both should wear masks throughout the journey.

Q: What should people do when going to shopping malls, supermarkets and cinemas?

A: People should have their temperature checked, wear masks and keep social distance of more than one meter.

Do not go to poorly ventilated and airtight places, such as mahjong rooms and chess rooms.

Q: Can people plan a trip recently?

A: Do not travel to high- and medium-risk areas in China or abroad unless it's necessary.

Q: Is the vaccine still effective against the mutated variant?

A: The effectiveness of the vaccine against the Delta variant may have declined, but it still has a good preventive and protective effect against it.

Q: Can people mix different types of vaccines? Does the general population need booster injections?

A: Currently in China, vaccines of different technical types cannot be mixed.

If there are special conditions that make it impossible to use the same type of vaccine from the same company to complete the vaccination, then the follow-up vaccination can be completed using the same technical vaccine type produced by different manufacturers. 

For the general population who have completed vaccination within one year, there is no need right now for a booster vaccination.