Zhuang Renxiang, director of the CDC, said that in the future, the COVID-19 vaccine may be routinely given every year like the flu vaccine.

(File photo, photo by reporter Xu Lijuan)

Reporter Lin Huiqin / Interview

The pneumonia epidemic in Wuhan has cooled down, and the vaccines are not getting better. In an exclusive interview with this newspaper, Zhuang Renxiang, director of the CDC, suggested that the public forget the number of doses they have given in the past, and restart the vaccination plan this year with at least one dose of BA.5 vaccine.

It is expected that after flu vaccines become routine in the future, the procurement budget for next year will be based on the demand for two doses per year for a total of 6 million high-risk patients over the age of 65 and chronic disease patients.

Zhuang Renxiang pointed out that the "vaccine plus one, unblocking peace of mind" campaign was launched, and the counties and cities tried their best to increase the rewards, but the cheer was still sluggish, mainly because the epidemic situation was going down, and there were no more invasive or severe mutant strains , and it is estimated that about 50% to 60% of the population has been diagnosed, and the three-dose vaccination rate is more than 70%. People who have been infected or received three or four doses of the vaccine will be more hesitant to get another shot this year.

Please read on...

Zhuang Renxiang emphasized that in the future, the COVID-19 vaccine may be routinely given every year like the flu vaccine. Therefore, the public should first forget how many doses have been given in the past, and "reset" the number of previous doses to "zero". This year, at least one dose of BA.5 vaccine will be administered.

In particular, those who have not even had a single dose or have not yet completed the basic dose need to get vaccinated quickly in the near future, because the epidemic prevention measures have been loosened, people do not wear masks, and even start going abroad, which will increase the risk of the community. Vaccination can reduce the risk of severe illness and death.

If Modena can't run out at the end of the year, the negotiation will be postponed or exchanged

Zhuang Renxiang pointed out that there are still about one million doses of COVID-19 vaccines purchased by my country last year, and the 15 million doses contracted with Moderna this year have not yet been delivered. It is estimated that they may not be used up before the end of the year. The arrival is delayed or a new vaccine has been developed for replacement.

Zhuang Renxiang emphasized that it is currently impossible to predict the dosage for this year, and the vaccine budget for next year still needs to be compiled first. It is estimated that there will be 6 million high-risk patients over the age of 65 and chronic diseases, who will receive two doses per year, and a total of 12 million doses will be estimated. , if the funds are not used up, they will be returned to the Vaccine Fund.

However, most countries have not set clear vaccination guidelines, and the details of our country are still to be discussed.

Rotavirus Vaccine Added to List of Public Funding Recommendations

Parents are also concerned about when the rotavirus vaccine for preventing gastroenteritis in young children will be included in public funds?

Zhuang Renxiang explained that it has been included in the public-funded list recommended by the Vaccination Team (ACIP) of the Advisory Committee on Infectious Disease Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, but it is ranked after the Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine for those over 65 years old, plus the quadrivalent influenza that was originally ranked further behind Due to the wave of the pandemic in 2019, vaccines were included in public funds in advance, and the number of doses reached more than 6 million doses, which had a considerable impact on financial expenditures. Therefore, the expansion of public funds for other vaccines is still vying for financial resources.

Zhuang Renxiang emphasized that the change of vaccine policy will have long-term impact, so before deciding to expand the scope of public funds, it is necessary to stabilize financial resources, especially the price of new vaccines is relatively high, but the vaccine fund budget has been changed from April 2009.

900 million yuan grew to 34 last year.

300 million yuan, continue to expand the health care for the people.

CDC Director Zhuang Renxiang.

(Photo by reporter Zhang Jiaming)