First, our country has experienced a round of nationwide epidemics, why do we need to be vaccinated against the new crown virus?
At present, the overall epidemic situation in the country is in a state of local sporadic distribution, but the new crown virus has not disappeared, and the spread of the virus in the population still persists. There are still gaps in the level of immunity in different populations. In previous outbreaks, people who were not infected and had not completed the established immunization schedule were still at risk of becoming infected and developing severe disease in the future; People who are already infected and have not completed primary immunization have significantly weaker immune protection than mixed immunity obtained after reinfection after completing primary immunization due to insufficient antigen stimulation induced by vaccines or viruses. In addition, protective antibodies will decay over time, and some people still need to be vaccinated at this stage to further strengthen their autoimmune capabilities, make up for the gap in immunity levels, and reduce the risk of severe disease and death that may occur in the future.
2. Who currently needs to be vaccinated? How can I tell if I need vaccination?
In the early stage, combined with the progress of vaccine research and development and the risk of disease in specific populations, differentiated vaccine immunization procedures were formulated for different populations. Specifically, people aged 3-17 need to complete 2 doses of inactivated vaccine or 3 doses of Zhifei recombinant protein vaccine for basic immunization; People over 18 years old should complete the first dose of booster immunization on the basis of basic immunization, among which people with high-risk infection, elderly people over 60 years old, people with more serious underlying diseases and immunocompromised people need to complete the second booster dose.
With the changes in the epidemic situation, whether vaccination is required at this stage should be determined based on factors such as infection status, previous vaccination history, age, physical condition and other factors. If you have not been infected in a previous outbreak but have not completed the established immunization schedule, you will need to continue to complete subsequent doses of vaccination. If you have been infected in a previous outbreak but have not completed primary immunization prior to infection, you will need to receive 3 additional dose of vaccine 1 months after infection. Whether you have been infected can be comprehensively determined by the results of the new coronavirus nucleic acid or antigen test, whether there are symptoms related to the new coronavirus infection such as fever and cough, and the epidemiological history (unprotected contact with the infected person, etc.).
The results showed that people who experienced natural infection after basic immunization and those who had completed the established immunization program could produce better immune protection through multiple antigen stimulation. For such people, the effect of revaccination in a short period of time is limited, and there is no need to continue vaccination for the time being. Subsequently, it will be determined whether the relevant population needs to continue vaccination according to the virus mutation and vaccine research and development progress.
3. How should eligible people be vaccinated?
China has a number of technical routes, and new coronavirus vaccines have been approved for use. Studies have shown that sequential immunity can provide more comprehensive protection for individuals. Therefore, if the inactivated vaccine is received in the early stage, it is recommended to choose recombinant protein vaccine and viral vector new coronavirus vaccine (inhaled adenovirus vector new coronavirus vaccine and influenza virus vector new crown virus vaccine) after booster immunization or post-infection vaccination.
In addition, the China Cell Recombinant New Coronavirus 4-valent S trimer protein vaccine and CSPC Pharmaceutical Group new coronavirus mRNA vaccine have recently been approved for emergency use and can be used for booster immunization in people over 18 years old. According to the recommendations of the vaccine research and development special class of the scientific research group of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council, the Shenzhou cell recombinant new coronavirus 4valent S trimeric protein vaccine contains the antigen components of the four variants of the new coronavirus Alpha, Beta, Delta and Omicron (BA.1), and the new coronavirus mRNA vaccine of CSPC covers the core mutation site of Omicron, which has a good cross-protection effect against the Omicron strain. Considering the risk of infection that may occur at any time, it is recommended that eligible people complete vaccination as soon as possible after meeting the interval requirements, without waiting for a specific vaccine.
3. Why should eligible people be vaccinated <> months after infection?
Protective antibodies acquired with vaccination and infection decay over time. For the vaccination time of the new crown virus of infected people, the World Health Organization and major institutions and countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany recommend vaccination 3-6 months after infection. From a global perspective, it is a consensus that vaccination against the new coronavirus after 3 months of infection is conducive to better protection for people at high risk of severe disease and death in subsequent outbreaks. (National Health Commission website)