China says no need to vaccinate entire population against Covid-19 at this stage, only frontline wor
Source: CNN
(CNN)Not everyone in China will need to get vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the country's top medical official, as Beijing looks to prioritize frontline workers and high-risk populations in a move that underscores rising confidence among policy-makers of their ability to contain the virus.
"Since the first wave of Covid-19 appeared in Wuhan, China has already survived the impact of Covid-19 several times," Gao Fu, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said at a vaccine summit in the city of Shenzhen on Saturday, according to state-run news agency China News Service.
The question of vaccinating the public was one of balancing "risks and benefits," he added, pointing to factors like cost and potential side effects. There isn't currently a need for mass vaccination at this stage -- though that could change if another serious outbreak takes place, Gao said.
The policy marks China apart from many Western governments, most notably Australia, that have outlined plans to introduce mass public vaccination drives.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/14/asia/china-covid-vaccine-gao-fu-intl-hnk/index.html
Given China's population and density, it is surprising that China is only planning a limited roll out of its early vaccines to frontline health care workers. You would think that if there is an outbreak that it would tougher to lock things down.
efhmc
(14,709 posts)help the GOP.
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,283 posts)NFL, NBA, MLB.
Then, secondary tier of necessary workers. Big Ten, Big Eight, etc.
Warpy
(110,913 posts)Health care workers here always got the first batch of flu vaccine, usually in September.
OneCrazyDiamond
(2,029 posts)Our governor has said we won't go back to normal without it.
TomCADem
(17,378 posts)There is no reason why the U.S. can't get back to a relative normal without a vaccine. Canada, Taiwan and Germany have done relatively well even without imposing a draconian lockdown like China did. Also, even without vaccines and modern medicine, the U.S. was able to overcome the Spanish Flu in in the early 1900s through social distancing and masks. Of course, when you have a President who is only focused on his own safety, then hundreds of thousands of people will die despite the advances in medicine since the early 1900s.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/24/21188121/coronavirus-covid-19-social-distancing-1918-spanish-flu
But its not the first time the US has done this.
Back in 1918, a strain of influenza colloquially called the Spanish flu caused the worst pandemic in centuries, killing as many as 100 million people. In the US, about 675,000 people died.
In response, states and cities across the country told people to do what we now know as social distancing. Schools, restaurants, and businesses were closed. Public gatherings were banned. People were told to isolate and quarantine. In some places, this lasted for months.
It worked. Things didnt go perfectly far from it, as some cities fared much worse than others, and people didnt always obey what experts and officials were telling them. But studies show that the social distancing efforts helped slow the spread of the 1918 flu and reduce the mortality rate overall.
OneCrazyDiamond
(2,029 posts)He has said repeatedly we need a vaccine. 1/3rd of our country vitriolically refuse to even acknowledge this exists, and I think he is factoring that in his calculus.
TomCADem
(17,378 posts)...who refuse to wear masks or socially distance. On top of that, you have the President and Attorney General continuing to turn social distancing into a culture war issue.
So, Newsome may be correct that we will ultimately need a vaccine, because so many folks have bought into Trump's talking points.
patphil
(6,035 posts)High risk people and areas first, then spread out as needed across the country.
We can't use the same approach in the USA because the virus is too widespread. It's literally everywhere right now. We'll still probably go with high risk people first, but then there is so much of it out there that we will probably just make it available generally across the country.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,750 posts)It's how it should be handled in this country also.
Although it probably won't be.
Sapient Donkey
(1,568 posts)It only makes sense that those who are most exposed and most at risk would get it first.
I suppose in this case, the authoritarian nature of the Chinese government makes it easier to get things done, but they still have a lot of people to deal with. (Not promoting authoritarianism, btw)
Nitram
(22,671 posts)are practicing social distancing and wear a mask in public are not directly exposed to the virus, I agree with China. Start with medical personnel, supermarket workers, and the like. Teachers and children attending school as well. People like me - retired, living on two acres of land, and no need to go out except for groceries - can be inoculated later.
Sapient Donkey
(1,568 posts)I'd rather wait it out a little bit to see how it plays out. It's not that I am anti-vaccine in the least bit, but it's just how quickly everyone is trying to develop one.. Not much different than being leery of moving into a house that was built in half a day.