Vaccinations begin for people older than 76
Cao Shengjie, 90, was one of the first Changning residents over the age of 76 to have her first injection.
The city began to vaccinate people aged 76 and over against COVID-19 from Monday.
Over 60 senior citizens over 76 received their injections in Changning District, a district with one of the largest elderly populations in the city’s downtown.
The Jiangsu Road Subdistrict served 55 seniors above 76, including several who were over 90. The community health service center opened green channels, dispatched free shuttle buses and prepared wheelchairs and medicines for the elderly.
Volunteers will accompany seniors who come alone, while doctors will offer consultation services before the injection.
The center has prepared common medicines in case anyone feels uncomfortable during the injection process. The seniors will also receive a sachet filled with traditional Chinese medicine.
Cao Shengjie, 90, was accompanied by her GP at an injection site on Yuyuan Road at 12:30pm. She was one of the first seniors to have the jab in the district.
“I will share the experience with my senior friends and ask them to receive the injection as early as possible,” Cao said.
A senior couple of 94 and 91 years old also received their injections at the site on Monday. The subdistrict opened a room for doctors to check their health before registering.
Tongren Hospital in Changning launched a COVID-19 vaccination sessions for seniors on Monday morning. Over a dozen people organized by the Xinjing Town government came to take the jab.
The township government has asked family members of older people to accompany them to the injection site. For seniors living alone, the town said it dispatches volunteers to pick up and take care of them.
Zhou Liangfu, 80, a neurosurgery expert at Huashan Hospital, has his COVID-19 vaccine on Monday.
At around 8am, 80-year-old Zhou Liangfu, a neurosurgery expert at Huashan Hospital, and his wife, 78, had their first injections at the hospital.
They received the inactivated vaccine from the Beijing Institute of Biological Products.
"I asked Dr Zhou to make reservations on hearing the news," said Yu Eyun, Zhou’s wife.
The couple said they had following the vaccination progress for some time.
After half an hour, they found via their phones that their inoculation information had been registered.
Senior homes in the city said they have informed their residents of the vaccination program.
Shanghai Yinkang Senior Care Home in Hongkou District said all its nursing workers who meet inoculation criteria have taken the vaccine and residents have been told about the vaccination program and reminded to check their own situation because certain groups are not suggested to take the jab.
Residents over 76 who are healthy and not allergic to vaccines are able to make reservations for inoculations by scanning a QR code obtained from their neighborhood or village committees.
They will receive a confirmation message after a successful reservation.
For those unable to use smartphones, reservations can be made via self-help terminals at communities by swiping ID cards or social insurance cards or with the assistance of community volunteers.
Those who have made successful reservations will receive vaccinations at designated spots at communities.
By the end of last year, Shanghai's population aged 60 and above was 5.33 million, or 36.1 percent of its permanent residents, up 3 percent from 2019. Among them, 825,300 were 80 or older and 3,000 were centenarians.
Yu Eyun, Zhou's wife, has her COVID-19 vaccine on Monday.
