To resolve the immune depression, China makes every effort to make up for the shortcomings of vaccination of the elderly

(Fighting New Coronary Pneumonia) Resolving the Immunization Depression China is making every effort to make up for the shortcomings of vaccination of the elderly

　　China News Agency, Beijing, November 30 (Huo Siyi and Du Wei) In the fourth winter of the new crown pandemic, China is facing a peak of infections.

On November 29, there were more than 37,000 new local infections in China.

From November 15th to 29th, there have been more than 20,000 new local infections per day across the country for 15 consecutive days, and more than 30,000 new local infections for seven consecutive days.

　　In the eight days from November 19th to 26th, a total of seven new crown deaths were announced across the country. Beijing, Zhengzhou, Chongqing and other places disclosed detailed causes of death. These deaths were all elderly people over the age of 80 with underlying diseases. .

　　On the 29th, the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council issued the "Work Plan for Strengthening the New Coronary Virus Vaccination of the Elderly", proposing to continue to do a good job of full vaccination and strengthening immunization for people aged 60 to 79, especially those over 80 years old.

The biggest change in the "Plan" is that the vaccination interval between the booster injection and the previous injection is shortened to more than 3 months.

　　Guo Yanhong, director of the Medical Emergency Department of the National Health and Medical Commission, said at the press conference of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council on the 29th that it is recommended that people without contraindications and eligible for vaccination, especially the elderly, be vaccinated against the new crown vaccine as soon as possible, which meets the conditions for enhanced vaccination. The vaccination should be boosted as soon as possible.

　　Chen Xi, an associate professor of global health policy and economics at Yale University in the United States, analyzed that the elderly population in China has formed a large "immunity depression", which is a very serious problem that must be resolved as soon as possible.

The elderly, those with underlying diseases, and those who have not been vaccinated are prone to severe illness

　　On November 29, at the press conference of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council, Xia Gang, director of the Department of Health and Immunization of the National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention, said that as of November 28, the number of people over 80 years old who have been vaccinated with the new crown vaccine and the number of people who have been vaccinated in the whole process are respectively Accounting for 76.6% and 65.8% of the population over 80 years old.

14.456 million people over the age of 80 have completed enhanced immunization, accounting for about 40.38% of the population over the age of 80.

　　Chang Jile, deputy director of the National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention, previously pointed out that it is very necessary, very important, and very urgent to increase the vaccination rate and booster shots for the elderly.

　　A well-known domestic virologist analyzed that according to global big data statistics, generally speaking, the virulence of the new coronavirus will become weaker and weaker.

In comparison, people aged 18 to 59 are more susceptible, but less likely to develop severe disease, and the elderly and people with underlying diseases are more likely to become severe patients.

　　According to official data from Hong Kong, as of March 25, when the number of confirmed cases of the new crown exceeded one million, a total of 6,749 people had died in the fifth wave of the epidemic in Hong Kong, 96% of whom were over 60 years old, and the median age of the dead was 86 years old.

Among them, the elderly over the age of 80 are the "hardest hit areas" of death, accounting for 70.8% of the total number of deaths.

About 88.3% of all deaths did not receive two doses of the new crown vaccine.

Need to pay attention to booster vaccination

　　In fact, in order to promote vaccination of the elderly, officials have taken various measures.

Since the beginning of this year, Beijing has set up a special vaccine class for the elderly, and community workers have gone door-to-door to popularize science in the homes of unvaccinated elderly people.

Guangdong, Shanghai and many other places have opened up the "last 100 meters" of vaccination for the elderly, and adopted the model of "fixed vaccination points + door-to-door vaccination points + door-to-door services".

　　Many experts suggested that in order to promote the vaccination of the elderly, it is necessary to pay special attention to boosting vaccination.

A study published by the School of Public Health of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong in July this year analyzed the effectiveness of vaccines that infected nearly 1 million patients in the fifth wave of the epidemic in Hong Kong. It can reach more than 95%.

Therefore, the study suggests that for the elderly, a booster shot, especially three shots of the inactivated vaccine, is required to obtain a high level of protection.

　　The above-mentioned virologist suggested that vaccination against the latest strain should be vaccinated as heterologously as possible, and high-risk groups should be given priority. Moreover, the country should continue to accelerate the development and approval of mRNA vaccines and vaccines against Omicron strains.

　　Gao Fu, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and former director of CDC, said in an interview with reporters that to promote vaccination for the elderly, first of all, it is important for professionals and scientists to do a good job in popularizing science, fully communicate with the public, and improve public awareness.

Second, small hands hold big hands. You can learn from some practices in the national patriotic health campaign, and let your grandchildren mobilize grandparents to get vaccinated.

Furthermore, relying on the advantages of the mechanism and system, mobilize from the unit level.

　　Chen Xi pointed out that the hesitation of many elderly people for vaccines comes from concerns about side effects. Next, the vague statement on contraindications in the vaccination guidelines should be further clarified, priority should be given to the elderly with chronic diseases, and the monitoring system for adverse events after immunization should be improved , with regular data releases and modest vaccination contingency insurance provided by the government.

　　Lu Mengji, a Chinese-German virologist and a professor at the Institute of Virology at the University of Essen's School of Medicine, pointed out that the current situation in mainland China must be taken seriously. On the one hand, the vaccination rate of the elderly is insufficient; A larger outbreak caused by the strain.

　　He believes that if we are not prepared now, a medical run like that at the beginning of the fifth wave of the epidemic in Hong Kong is likely to happen in the future. In second- and third-tier cities with insufficient medical resources, the consequences may be more serious, causing harm to a large number of elderly people.

　　"We must now think clearly about what stage of epidemic prevention China is currently in, and what are the goals and priorities of the next adjustments. We can neither seal it off nor explain it all at once. Science and data should be respected to deal with the future. What preparations should be made for the outbreak of a large-scale epidemic." Lu Mengji said.

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