China says covid vaccination rates for the elderly have risen over the past two weeks

BEIJING – Mainland China on Tuesday announced significant progress in getting Covid-19 booster shots for “those over the age of 80”.

As of Monday, 65.8% of those in that age group had received booster shots, an official told reporters.

According to previous disclosures, it was 40% on November 11.

China announced a new initiative to vaccinate more of its elderly with Covid-19.

An official told a press conference that the vaccine is still effective in preventing serious illness and death, with the elderly among the most likely beneficiaries.

The document did not provide specific details How will the authorities vaccinate more people?

Vaccinating a larger share of the population could help put China on the path to reopening, analysts said. Only Chinese-made vaccines are available locally so far.

The rate of covid vaccination for older adults in China is generally lower than in the US and Singapore.

Tuesday’s announcement and press conference A weekend of restlessness Pockets of people in cities across China expressed their frustration with the Covid policy. Local authorities took drastic measures In some quarters, the signals from Beijing suggested that China was on track to reopen.

Weekend rallies weighed on market sentiment in Asia on Monday. There were no signs of further protests amid tight security.

Mainland China’s recent Covid restrictions have negatively impacted national GDP by 25.1% as of Monday, according to a Nomura model. This was higher than the previous peak of 21.2% recorded in April during Shanghai’s lockdown.

When asked in English Is China Rethinking Its Covid Policy? After the protests, an official said he was simply monitoring the virus’s growth.

The country announced on Monday First drop in daily local infections in more than a week.