China pushes elderly vaccination as reopening pressure grows

China said it would bolster vaccination among its senior citizens, a move regarded by health experts as crucial to reopening an economy stuck in an endless loop of harsh “COVID-zero” curbs. But it stopped short of announcing mandates that helped raise inoculation rates in other countries.

Instead, officials vowed to push shots harder in places like nursing centers, and make those unwilling to get inoculated provide a reason for their refusal, according to a statement Tuesday from the National Health Commission. The government will also use big data to identify elderly people who need the vaccine, the statement said.

While more than 90% of China’s 1.4 billion people are fully vaccinated — a relatively high percentage globally — the numbers decline with age, with the figure dropping for especially people over the age of 80. Only 65.8% of over 80-year-olds are fully vaccinated and just 40% have received booster shots. About 86% of those aged 60 and above are fully inoculated.