Mask warning: don’t get lax because you’re vaccinated against Covid-19, say China’s health authorities

China will vaccinate high-risk groups of its population against coronavirus throughout the winter, the country’s health authority has announced, but warned that even those who get a jab should continue wearing face masks.

The emergency vaccination program will continue in the country during the winter period, the director of the State Council’s vaccine research and development work group, Zeng Yixin, said on Saturday.

“During the winter and spring seasons, carrying out novel coronavirus vaccination work among some key population groups is of great significance to epidemic prevention,” he stated during a press briefing.

The high-risk groups include healthcare, customs, public transport, and other workers who deal with large numbers of people. The emergency vaccination program began in China in July and, since then, some one million people have received a coronavirus shot.
Those fortunate enough to be vaccinated first should still continue observing social distancing rules, wash their hands thoroughly, and wear a face mask, Zeng warned. While China’s authorities are confident the vaccines it uses are “efficient and safe,” no jab can provide 100-percent protection from the virus, he added.

China has several vaccines in development, with a solution from Sinopharm and one from Sinovac Biotech being used in the emergency vaccination program. A vaccine made by CanSino Biologics has already been approved for use on the country’s military, but none have yet been given the green light for use with the general public. Beijing is confident the drugs will get through the necessary approval procedures soon, however, Zeng said.

“The number of cases required for the interim stage of phase-three clinical trials have already been obtained,” Zheng stated, without specifying exactly which vaccine is nearing the end of the trial cycle.

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