People receive COVID-19 vaccination at a temporary vaccination site in Jiangbei District of Chongqing, southwest China, April 8, 2021.Photo:Xinhua

China's National Health Commission (NHC) is formulating policies and measures for a booster shot against COVID-19, an official from the health authorities announced on Wednesday, while when some regions in the country have already started giving additional shots to key groups. 

Cui Gang, an official from the NHC, said at a press conference on Wednesday that the country has organized experts to make comprehensive studies on booster shots, with the suggestion that key groups who have been fully vaccinated with inactivated vaccines after six months should be given a booster, such as those working in airports, ports, customs, hospitals and health facilities, and seniors aged 60 above. 

Strategies on giving booster shots for other types of vaccines are also under review, Cui sad. 

The commission now is ramping up efforts to formulate polices and measures for a booster shot in accordance with experts' research and studies and the needs of epidemic, the official said.

As for when China will greenlight booster shots for the general public, a senior vaccine expert from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention previously revealed to the Global Times that mass vaccination has yet to be decided.  

China will study the safety of this process, and a large amount of data will be acquired before vaccine experts can evaluate whether the mass vaccination is necessary.The decision will be adjusted and made in accordance with the needs of the domestic COVID-19 resurgence situation, the expert said.

The city of Shanwei in South China's Guangdong Province took the lead in giving COVID-19 booster shots to key groups of people aged between 18 and 59 who have been fully inoculated with inactivated vaccines for six months, and more cities are about to follow later this month, such as North China's Henan and East China's Zhejiang.

Global Times