China looks to increase vaccination awareness among elderly residents

In an effort to educate the public on the importance of vaccination, the nation's first scientific promotion pamphlet on elderly vaccination was released during this week's World Vaccination Week.

Vaccination can help people prevent various infectious diseases and the degeneration of immunity which comes with age.

Vaccination isn't just for children, but a lifelong issue, with people receiving vaccinations throughout different phases of life, the National Health Commission said on its public WeChat account on Tuesday.

About 75 percent of Chinese elderly aged 60 or older have at least one chronic disease and 43 percent have at least two. Vaccination can prevent infection, slow down the development of chronic diseases and reduce the risk of complications, said Qi Pingjiang from Chinese Aging Well Association.

However, the public understanding and awareness of adult vaccination, especially elderly vaccination, is still inadequate, requiring further education and guidance, experts said.

According to experts, elderly people should receive vaccination for the flu, pneumonia, shingles and COVID-19.

"A healthy aging process is not only related to the length of life, but quality of life," said Feng Luzhao from Peking Union Medical College's School of Population Medicine and Public Health.

"But the vaccination rate for the flu, pneumonia and shingles are still low in China. The vaccination rate among adults is only 10.97 percent for the flu and13.6 percent for pneumonia, and only 16.57 percent expressed a willingness to receive shingles shots. So it is urgent to promote education, enhance public confidence on the effects and safety of vaccination, and improve vaccination awareness among the elderly."

Dr Yang Weizhong, vice director of Chinese Preventative Medicine Association, said people's immunity drops along with the aging process, so elderly people are more vulnerable to infectious diseases.

"For instance, age is the most important risk factor for shingles. People over 50 years old are high-risk population, and the older the age, the more serious the symptoms," he said.

COVID-19 vaccination

With the arrival of the May Day holiday, medical experts suggest people with weak immunity become more aware of the risk of COVID-19, as there are reports of a second round of infections.

People who haven't been infected with COVID-19 and vulnerable people like the elderly are at higher risk. Eligible people can receive COVID-19 vaccines to boost immunity.

Under the latest policy, people who haven't been infected and haven't fulfilled the basic or booster shots, and those who have been infected but never vaccinated are the targets for vaccination services.

Both eligible Chinese and expatriates can receive the vaccination. There are one or two hospitals or clinics in each district offering service for expatriates in Shanghai and detailed information is available on government-run Jiankangyun, or Health Cloud, platform.

Dr Xylia Xiong from SinoUnited Health said its clinics and hospital have seen a slight rise of COVID-19 patients, both Chinese and expatriates, recently.

"Patients who are infected for the first time have more serious symptoms than those with second infections. So eligible people, especially vulnerable people, can receive vaccination for protection," Xiong said. "We have bilingual services for COVID-19 vaccination."

High health awareness like good personal hygiene and wearing a mask while staying in crowded public venues like trains and coaches are important for COVID-19 prevention and control, doctors said.