A medical worker prepares to administer a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a temporary vaccination site in Haidian District of Beijing, capital of China, May 20, 2021. Photo:Xinhua

China's top health body issued a plan to roll out second booster shot on Wednesday. Those from high-risk groups, the elderly and people with underlying diseases and weak immune systems who had received their first booster shot over six months ago will be the first to receive the second booster.

All vaccines that have been approved for emergency use can be used as second booster shots, but shots using different technology should be given priority, the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council said in an announcement on Wednesday.

Shots containing the Omicron virus or providing cross immunity effect against the Omicron virus are being prioritized through the mechanism as second booster shots.

So far China has reportedly approved 13 COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use. Within 25 hours from December 4 to 5, four new COVID-19 vaccines were reported to have been approved for emergency use in the Chinese mainland, including three recombinant protein-based vaccines and a nasal spray influenza virus vector vaccine.

The rapid-fire approval came a few days before China further adjusted and optimized its COVID response by releasing 10 new measures on December 7, including allowing asymptomatic carriers and mild COVID-19 patients and those who meet certain requirements to quarantine at home, in order to support resumption of normal life and economic activity while minimizing the impact on society and the economy.

Along with adjustments to epidemic prevention measures and the resumption of normal life, the willingness of Chinese people to get vaccinated has also increased.

According to media reports, from December 2 to 6, about 896,000 shots of COVID-19 vaccines were administered across the Chinese mainland. From December 7 to 11, the first four days after the 10 measures were released, the number nearly quadrupled to 3.59 million shots.

Given the previous and highly restrictive epidemic prevention measures, many residents did not view it as necessary to get vaccinated. Following the latest adjustments the responsibilities for personal protection have now fallen on individuals, and on this basis it's not unexpected that more people are willing to get vaccinated, experts said.