Building an Immune Barrier

Chinese vaccines help the global fight against COVID-19 pandemic

- Xia Yuanyuan

Wang Jiansheng, a taxi driver with Beifang Autos Renting Co. Ltd. in Beijing, is one of the first Chinese residents to receive free vaccination for COVID-19 after the country kicked off the campaign on January 1.

“I got my first shot on January 7. I think vaccination is significant to protect me, my family and my colleagues. After all it’s one of the best ways to curb the spread of the virus,” Wang, 57, told ChinAfrica.

Wang said that right after receiving the vaccine, his arm hurt a little. But these symptoms were all gone the next morning. “I feel good now,” he said.

Now, Wang’s profile on ride-hailing apps shows he has been vaccinated. “Mass inoculation makes both drivers and passengers feel a little more at ease,” he said.

People aged 18 to 59 working in sectors that have higher risks of infection are given priority for vaccines in China. These key groups include customs officers, disease control and medical personnel, as well as workers in cold chain logistics, public transportation, and agricultural product and seafood markets.

According to Wang Bin, an official with the Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention of the National Health Commission, more than 15 million people had been vaccinated by January 20. “We will gradually expand the immunization to include children and the elderly,” she said.

Mass drive

In Beijing, there are about 205 vaccination sites with more than 8,700 workers. As of January 16, about 1.7 million people had been inoculated in the city.

At 9:30 a.m. on January 18, hundreds of people had already lined up at a vaccination center in Beijing’s Xicheng District.