Expatriates praise rollout of vaccination program
Nearly 400 expatriates received the COVID-19 vaccination at Jiahui International Hospital in Xuhui District on Sunday.
COVID-19 vaccination for the city's expatriates rolled out in late March.
Foreigners can register for the service by scanning the Health Cloud, or Jiankangyun QR code. After scanning, they will receive a confirmation on their phone, and can then visit the designated venue for the shot at the allotted time.
Spaniard Jose Miso Anto receives a vaccination at Jiahui International Hospital in Xuhui District.
A China-made inactivated vaccine is used at present. Expats who have Chinese social insurance will get the shots for free, while others have to pay 100 yuan per dose. The shots have to be taken twice.
There is a strong demand for the COVID-19 vaccine among foreigners, but many found it difficult to secure an appointment.
Designating the hospital as a vaccination site specifically for foreigners aims at a smoother and more efficient rollout of the vaccine to the foreign community.
A total of 367 expats registered for Sunday's service at the hospital, according to the Xuhui District Foreign Affairs Office.
"This is mainly aimed at those companies and the high-level administrators there, as they have high demand to get the vaccine, so the Xuhui District government appointed our hospital to give the vaccine to this group of foreigners," said Dr John Hsiang, Chief Medical Officer of Jiahui Health and Clinical President of Jiahui International Hospital.
"People have to register first and pick different time slots, and when they arrive at the hospital, we will divert them and give them instruction," he said.
They also need to experience observation for about half a hour after inoculation.
For the next jab, they need to register again after three to four weeks.
The registration area at Jiahui International Hospital in Xuhui District.
Foreign nationals who received the vaccination at the hospital said the process was very smooth.
"It was very easy, and people are very friendly here, and it was super-well organized," said Jean Philippe from Germany who has been living in Shanghai since 2019.
"It took 10 minutes to finish the registration and vaccination process, and I feel all good and very comfortable."
Vaibhav Gupta from India arrived at the hospital at 10:05am.
"It was simple as we get to different counters for registration and show our passports, and we have to sign our consent form, then we went for medical check-up," he said.
"Everything was fine and as of now, there is no unusual thing. I was told people might feel an ache after vaccination, but I am at my comfort level."
Manabe Tatsuro from Osaka in Japan has been in Shanghai for 11 years.
He said he felt more relieved after taking the vaccination.
Spaniard Jose Miso Anto said he was not nervous before taking the vaccine.
"I used to have a lot of vaccines before, and I never have any side reactions," he said. "I think it's fine and it's worthy to try."
"In China, we have the opportunity to get it sooner than other countries."
"The process from the moment that we arrived at the hospital till now has been very professional."
After the vaccination, Jose Miso Anto said he felt good.
He has been living in Shanghai for almost six years.
"So far it is a good experience," he said.
"It's a good opportunity for me to travel more inside China this year, and I went to Qinghai and Dunhuang," he added. His next stop is Yunnan Province.
An expat prepares for vaccination.
