China says Covid-19 jabs are safe for people with allergies amid vaccine push

The China CDC says Covid-19 vaccines are safe for those with a history of allergies, including to medications like antibiotics, as health authorities try to encourage more people to get the jab.

“Some people are allergic to pollen, some have rhinitis – it’s what we call an allergic constitution and not related to what’s present in vaccines. They are not listed as contraindications to the Covid-19 vaccines,” An Zhijie, an official in charge of immunisation with the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, told state broadcaster CCTV on Monday.

Although China began its Covid-19 vaccine roll-out in July, the first country to do so, it now lags behind other nations with fewer shots administered per capita. Nearly 142 million doses had been given by Monday, or about 10 for every 100 people. That compares to countries with higher inoculation rates such as Israel, where 114 doses have been administered per 100 people, Britain’s 56 doses per 100 people, and 50 doses per 100 people in the United States.

That immunisation gap puts the prospect of reopening borders in doubt, and Chinese authorities are keen to catch up – especially with the 2022 Winter Olympics, to be held in Beijing and neighbouring city Zhangjiakou, only about 300 days away. China is ramping up vaccine production and education campaigns in the hope of getting 40 per cent of the population, about 560 million people, inoculated by June and has set a target of 80 per cent to be vaccinated by the start of next year at the earliest.

Official guidelines issued at the end of last month no longer list some contraindications for Chinese Covid-19 vaccines included when they were first approved for emergency use in July. In terms of allergies, only people with a history of serious reactions to vaccines or products used in them are advised not to get immunised under the latest guidelines.