China says Xi Jinping has dealt a blow to domestic Covid as it seeks to ease vaccine safety concerns | Corona Virus

Officials said China’s Covid-19 vaccines are safe and have been given to state leaders and the ruling Communist Party, as Beijing steps up efforts to allay public concerns about safety that could hamper the vaccination campaign.

“All state and party leaders in China have been vaccinated against Covid-19 with homemade shots,” Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the National Health Commission, said on Saturday.

In China, “state and party leaders” are a defined class of senior officials at the national level and their deputy at the national level which would include the president, Xi Jinping, and the prime minister, Li Keqiang.

Zeng’s comment, who did not specify when officials received the knockout blow and how many doses they received, came about two years after the country launched its COVID vaccination campaign. China lags behind many other countries in informing its people of the vaccination status of its leaders.

Experts and officials have warned that lower vaccination rates for the elderly are likely to strain health resources if the virus spreads widely, and make China less willing to exit its spread. Strict “Covid Zero Dynamic” Policy Which requires strict quarantine for international travelers and various restrictions on the movement of people and local businesses in local areas with gatherings.

The National Health Commission announced on Sunday that China reported 982 cases of the new coronavirus on July 23, up from 817 new cases the day before. The bulk of the cases occurred in northwestern Gansu Province and southern Guangxi Province.

The country has achieved an 89.7% vaccination rate and given about 56% of its 1.41 billion people a booster dose, but only 61% of those over 80 have finished their primary vaccination.

However, more aggressive impulses by front-line officials, including restricting access to public places for the unprotected, sparked backlash online and were soon retracted.

A major concern among non-vaccinators is the safety of the shots used in China, with tales of severe illness after vaccination sparking fear online and criticism over the lack of transparency of the Chinese government and vaccine makers.

“Covid vaccines do not cause leukemia or diabetes, do not affect genetic development, cause tumor metastasis or antibody-dependent enhancement, and this is irresponsible misinformation on the Internet,” said Wang Fusheng, an infectious disease expert at the hospital affiliated hospital. with the Chinese army.

At a press conference, Wang said the rate of hospitalizations for diabetes and leukemia was the same during 2018-22.

For those over the age of 60, a complete primary vaccination with Chinese vaccines reduces the risk of serious illness by 89%, while a booster dose lowers the risk to 95%, compared with the unvaccinated, according to Feng Zijian, an official with the Center. Chinese Preventive Medicine Association.

The most commonly used Chinese picks were made by Sinovac and Sinopharm. The country has not yet approved foreign-made Covid products.