Zhong Nanshan Photo:VCG

China's top respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan said on Friday that using a different type of vaccine for a booster dose is recommended in sequential immunization in China, as using a different shot can offer better protection. 

Globally, many Western countries are adopting a strategy of living with the virus, but Zhong said that China will gradually reopen in the process of implementing the dynamic zero-COVID policy. A complete reopening would not be an option as the number of deaths would be increased significantly, he said. 

Boosting immunization is imperative, Zhong said at a live streaming activity organized by Nankai University on Friday, Beijing Daily reported.

Data shows that for people who received two inactivated Sinovac vaccine shots and one mRNA vaccine for a booster shot, the protection rate can reach as high as 92.7 percent 14 to 30 days after the booster shot and the effective rate for preventing severe cases was 97.3 percent, Zhong said. 

Zhong said that after two doses of inactivated vaccine and one different type of shot, the activity level of antibodies was higher than from three doses of inactivated vaccine. 

He said his booster shot was a protein subunit COVID-19 vaccine made by Anhui Zhifei Lingcom Biopharmaceuticals. 

China is currently rolling out sequential immunization and mixing different types of vaccines to boost people's immune system. People can also have their booster shots using the same type of vaccine.

According to China's health commission, those who are fully vaccinated with inactivated vaccines can choose between a protein subunit COVID-19 vaccine made by Anhui Zhifei Lingcom Biopharmaceuticals and a viral vector vaccine developed by CanSino Biologics for a sequential COVID-19 booster shot.

Zhong said research into small-molecule drugs to protect against the Omicron variant is currently an important mission. 

Global Times