Xinhua All Media +丨Don't wait for the elderly's new crown vaccination - authoritative experts respond to epidemic prevention hotspots
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 16 Question: The elderly should not wait for the new crown vaccination - authoritative experts respond to epidemic prevention hotspots
Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Heng
Recently, the overall epidemic situation across the country has continued to show a downward trend, but local transmission has not been completely blocked in some places, and the situation of epidemic prevention and control is still severe and complicated.
What is the necessity and urgency for the elderly to be vaccinated against COVID-19?
Why does vaccination reduce the risk of severe illness and even death?
For elderly care institutions and long-term home-based elderly, how to implement detailed and precise protection?
Wang Guiqiang, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases of Peking University First Hospital, and Wang Huaqing, chief expert of the immunization program of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, gave authoritative answers.
"It can be seen from some data that the elderly are a high-risk group of severe infection, and the necessity and urgency of the elderly group to be vaccinated against the new crown is very clear." Wang Guiqiang said.
"After the elderly are infected with the new coronavirus, the proportion of severe illness and death is the highest among all age groups." Wang Huaqing said that for the elderly, after infection with viruses or bacteria, the incidence of autoimmunity increases and inflammation is more likely to occur. ; Most of the elderly have underlying diseases, and if they are infected with the virus, it will also lead to more severe symptoms of the original disease or more likely to develop comorbidities.
"Three doses of the new crown vaccine can effectively prevent severe illness and death in the elderly." Wang Guiqiang said that from the current data, two doses of the new crown virus vaccine for the elderly produce less antibody than two doses for the young. Only after the antibody level will increase rapidly, the high antibody level can better protect the elderly and reduce the risk of severe illness and death.
Wang Huaqing said that from the current monitoring in areas where Omicron is seriously affected, it can be seen that the difference in protection between unvaccinated and two-dose, three-dose vaccination is very obvious. Two-dose and three-dose vaccination There are also significant differences in the prevention of severe disease and death between doses.
Relevant data show that among people over 60 years old, the incidence of severe disease in those who have not been vaccinated and who have received only one dose of the vaccine is more than 20 times that of those who have received two doses and three doses of the vaccine.
Experts remind that vaccination is effective in preventing severe illness, and calls on elderly friends to get vaccinated in time.
At the same time, governments at all levels should strengthen the coordination and organizational management of vaccination, and adopt various "green channels" for the elderly, including door-to-door vaccination, promotion of mobile vaccination vehicles, etc., to ensure that the elderly receive everything they need.
In addition, elderly care institutions and long-term home-based elderly are the weak link and key link in the anti-epidemic work.
Wang Guiqiang suggested that it is necessary to ensure that these elderly people are vaccinated as soon as possible, emphasize basic protection, wash hands frequently, wear masks, reduce crowd gatherings, and maintain frequent ventilation in activity places.
In addition, people around the elderly should do personal protection, regular self-monitoring, nucleic acid screening, and strengthen the awareness of prevention and control to avoid the spread of the virus within the family and within the nursing home.