BEIJING – Chinese authorities are going door-to-door paying people over 60 to get vaccinated against COVID-19. but even as cases increaseLi Liansheng, 64, said his friends were alarmed by stories of fever, blood clots and other side effects.
“When people hear about such incidents, they may not be willing to take the vaccines,” said Li, who was vaccinated before contracting COVID-19. A few days into his 10-day battle with the virus, Li is suffering from a sore throat and cough. He said it was like a “normal cold” with a slight fever.
China has joined other countries in handling cases rather than trying to eradicate virus transmission by dropping or relaxing rules on testing, quarantines and movement to reverse an economic slump. But the postponement has inundated hospitals with feverish, wheezing patients.
The National Health Commission announced a November 29 campaign Increasing vaccination rates among older Chinese, which health experts say is crucial to avoid a healthcare crisis. It’s also the biggest hurdle before the ruling Communist Party can lift the last of the world’s toughest antivirus restrictions.
China kept case numbers low for two years with a “zero-COVID” strategy that isolated cities and locked millions in their homes. Well like it distances itself from this approachit is facing the widespread outbreaks that other countries have already gone through.
The Health Commission has recorded just six COVID-19 deaths this month, bringing the country’s official death toll to 5,241. And this despite multiple reports from families of deceased relatives.
China only counts deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official COVID-19 toll, a health official said last week. This unusually narrow definition excludes many deaths that other countries would attribute to COVID-19.
Experts assume 1 to 2 million deaths in China by the end of 2023.
Li, who trained at the green Temple of Heaven compound in central Beijing, said he was considering a second booster shot because of the publicity campaign: “As long as we know the vaccine doesn’t have major side effects, we should take it.”
Neighborhood committees, which form the lowest level of government, have been instructed to find and monitor everyone’s health over the age of 65. They are doing what the state media calls “ideological work,” getting local residents to persuade elderly relatives to get vaccinated.
In Beijing, the Chinese capital, the Liulidun neighborhood promises people over 60 up to 500 yuan ($70) to get a two-dose vaccination course and a booster shot.
The National Health Commission announced on December 23 that the number of people vaccinated daily nationwide more than doubled to 3.5 million. But that’s still a small fraction of the tens of millions of shots given daily in early 2021.
Elderly people are put off by potential side effects from Chinese-made vaccines, for which the government has not released results from tests on people over 60.
Li said a 55-year-old friend suffered from a fever and blood clots after being vaccinated. He said they weren’t sure if the shot was to blame, but his friend was reluctant to get another one.
“It’s also said the Virus keeps mutating‘ Li said. ‘How do we know if the vaccines we are taking are useful?’
Some are hesitating because they suffer from diabetes, heart problems and other health complications, despite warnings from experts that vaccination is even more urgent since the risks of COVID-19 outweigh the potential side effects of vaccination for almost everyone.
A 76-year-old man, who takes his daily walk around the Temple of Heaven with the help of a cane, said he wanted to get the vaccine but had diabetes and high blood pressure. The man, who only wanted to give his last name Fu, said he wears masks and tries to avoid crowds.
Older people also felt little urgency, as low case numbers ahead of the latest surge meant few were at risk of infection. However, that past lack of infections has left China with few people who have developed antibodies to the virus.
“Now, the families and loved ones of the elderly should make them understand that infection can lead to serious illnesses and even death,” said Jiang Shibo of the medical faculty of Fudan University in Shanghai.
More than 90% of people in China are vaccinated, according to the National Health Commission, but only about two-thirds of those over 80. According to the 2020 census, China has 191 million people aged 65 and over – a group that alone would make it the eighth most populous country, ahead of Bangladesh.
“Coverage rates for people over 80 still need to be improved,” Shanghai news agency The Paper said. “Elderly people are particularly at risk”
Du Ming’s son arranged for the 100-year-old to be vaccinated, according to his caretaker, Li Zhuqing, who wheeled a face mask-clad Du through a park. Li agreed with this approach because none of the family members became infected, meaning they would be more likely to bring the disease home to Du if they were exposed.
Health officials turned down requests from reporters to visit vaccination centers. Two who briefly entered the centers were told to leave when staff found out who they were.
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AP researcher Yu Bing and video producers Olivia Zhang and Wayne Zhang contributed.
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