Beijing Tries to Persuade the Elderly to Get Corona Vaccination

The Chinese capital Beijing is trying to persuade the elderly to get vaccinated against Covid-19 with special health insurance paid for by the state.

By closing it, they are insured against “medical incidents” linked to vaccination.

Vaccination coverage among people over 60 is relatively low in Beijing. According to data from local authorities, 80.6 percent of this vulnerable group had had a first corona jab by April. By September last year, 97.7 percent of all adults had been fully vaccinated.

The insurance should “remove vaccination concerns among the elderly and their relatives,” Chinese state television reported. Up to 500,000 yuan per person can be paid out at a time.

The city of 22 million inhabitants has been dealing with an outbreak of the coronavirus for weeks. The authorities are trying to prevent a strict lockdown like in Shanghai with measures. As Shanghai sees the number of infections in the city decrease, restrictions are slowly being relaxed there.