Teenagers get vaccinated in Kunming, capital city of Yunnan Province on August 3, 2021. Photo: CFP

Border cities in Southwest China's Yunnan Province, also a renowned travel destination in China, have started to offer booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines for key groups, in the light of the high risk of imported cases, with workers of the tourism industry being the primary target. 

The measure comes amid the acceleration in China of booster shots for key groups to further consolidate the nation's epidemic prevention and control achievements, and  improve the protection efficacy for people at high risk of infection in a timely manner. 

These groups at high risk of infection include workers at customs and border inspection offices or in the aviation industry, employees of quarantine centers and staff at designated medical institutions. 

Currently, at least 12 provinces and regions in China have started to offer booster shots for key groups.

Health authority in Lijiang, a beautiful scenic spot, announced on Monday that the city will provide a booster shot for adults who have been fully vaccinated for at least 6 months. Apart from the key groups mentioned above, the city also rolled out vaccinations for special groups in accordance with local conditions. The special groups refer to those who work in tourism and over the age of 60. 

Also, the authorities in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture announced on Monday that they are ready to provide booster shots for people aged above 18 and have been fully vaccinated for at least 6 months. The prefecture emphasized that the population in three border counties and cities, and those above 60 years old, are included in the campaign. The prefecture is providing inactivated and CanSino vaccines.

A similar policy was also announced by the authorities in Lincang and Ruili, two border regions in Yunnan.

Yunnan has been struggling to fight imported cases as the province is home to 25 border cities and counties. 

On July 20, China reported the highest daily tally of new confirmed COVID-19 cases since January driven by a surge in imported infections in Yunnan, where cases are spilling over from an alarming spike in neighboring Myanmar.

Ruili, one of the cities bordering Myanmar, attracted public attention again in August as its fourth wave of domestic outbreak shows no sign of ending after one domestic COVID-19 case was reported, highlighting the complexity of border epidemic prevention and control.

Due to a turbulent political situation and worsening coronavirus infections, over 10,000 Chinese nationals were waiting at Ruili on October 2 to return to China, putting great pressure on the border city.