The Chinese mainland reported more than 800 locally transmitted COVID-19 infections for Wednesday, nearly double the previous day's count, with experts saying the novel coronavirus' rampage in neighboring countries and regions and the high ratio of asymptomatic cases had contributed to the surge.
The fast-spreading Omicron variant should not be treated like influenza, because it can pose severe risks to unvaccinated people and its long-term effects on recovered patients still remain unclear, health experts said.
Vaccines said key to reopen intl borders By WANG XIAOYU | China Daily | Updated: 2021-04-06 07:10 Share CLOSE Merchants and staff members in Wangfujing, one of Beijing s downtown shopping streets, receive COVID-19 vaccination at a temporary vaccination site newly-set nearby for their convenience in Beijing, capital of China, March 25, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
Quick rollout needs to continue to reach 70% inoculation rate for herd immunity
Mass vaccination is the only way for China to build herd immunity against the novel coronavirus and fully reopen to the world, a renowned health expert said.
The National Health Commission said that China had administered nearly 140 million doses as of Sunday, up by about 3.3 million from Saturday. The number of fully vaccinated people in China is still far from the estimated threshold for herd immunity of at least 70 percent.
Mass vaccination is the only way for China to build herd immunity against the novel coronavirus and fully reopen to the world, a renowned health expert said.
The National Health Commission said that China had administered nearly 140 million doses as of Sunday, up by about 3.3 million from Saturday. The number of fully vaccinated people in China is still far from the estimated threshold for herd immunity of at least 70 percent.
By comparison, some major economies have outpaced the rest of the world in vaccinating their population, said Zhang Wenhong, head of the infectious disease center at Fudan University s Huashan Hospital in Shanghai.
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