[Correspondent Diary] Vaccine Administration Across Neighborhoods in China... Debates Over Foreigners' Vaccination

Health Authorities Report 9 Million Vaccinations... Vaccine Safety Concerns Among Foreigners Living in China
Vaccination of Foreigners Residing in China

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] At 11 a.m. on the 9th, more than 50 people were lined up at a shopping area within an apartment complex in Wangjing, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China, where many Koreans reside.

Curious about "What kind of line is this in such cold weather?" I approached closer. They were Chinese people who came to receive the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) vaccine. Chinese people who made prior reservations and arrived on time were tapping their feet in the cold weather, waiting for their turn. Instead of hospitals or health centers, temporary vaccination sites were set up in easily accessible locations to administer the vaccine.

Chinese people are lining up at a temporary COVID-19 vaccination site set up in an apartment complex in Wangjing, Beijing, China.

I was puzzled by Chinese media reports stating that there are more than 25,000 vaccination sites nationwide, but it seems they chose a rapid vaccination method by setting up temporary vaccination sites throughout neighborhoods.

The National Health Commission of China announced that since the 15th of last month, vaccinations have started for key management groups, and 9 million doses have been administered so far. The key management groups include medical personnel, importers of frozen food, and public transportation workers.

Chinese experts have also expressed opinions that "mandatory and free vaccination" is necessary to form herd immunity.

Chinese health authorities have stated that the production volume of domestically developed COVID-19 vaccines will exceed 1 billion doses this year. The Chinese vaccine requires two doses per person to develop antibodies. Chinese media report that this number is insufficient to meet the Chinese authorities' goal of vaccinating 75% of the population. This implies that China will need to import some vaccines as well.

Alleviating concerns about vaccine safety is also key to forming herd immunity. Although Chinese health authorities emphasize the safety of domestically developed COVID-19 vaccines, there is still a lack of trust. For this reason, voices among Chinese experts call for actively promoting the safety of domestically developed vaccines to encourage vaccination.

Among foreigners residing in China, there is also considerable resistance or anxiety about receiving Chinese vaccines. Debates have begun on whether to get vaccinated with Chinese vaccines or to return home, get vaccinated, and then come back to China.

A Korean living in Beijing asked the reporter, "They say we have to get vaccinated, but isn't it a bit questionable to get the Chinese vaccine? What should we do?" It seems they hope that the Korean government would directly bring vaccines to China and administer them.

However, this is difficult as the Chinese government officially does not import vaccines from the UK or the US.

Fortunately, there is an opinion that China will need to import vaccines from overseas since relying solely on domestic vaccines has limitations in forming COVID-19 herd immunity within the year. The Chinese state-run Global Times, citing experts, reported that vaccines should be imported from Germany or Russia to cover the shortfall.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.