Coronavirus: China’s cities are in a race for herd immunity – but what does that mean?
- Cities vulnerable to a high risk of imported cases, those near China’s borders or its largest cities were a priority and given wider vaccine availability
- Experts agree that at least 70 per cent of the population must be immune for herd immunity but after that opinions vary about level and duration of protection
The World Health Organization, which supports achieving herd immunity through vaccination rather than by allowing the disease to spread through the population, has said it cannot be achieved globally this year, partly because of limited vaccination in developing countries and the emergence of variants.
The level of vaccination in Beijing is similar to that of San Francisco which is on track to become the first city in the United States to reach herd immunity after vaccinating 74 per cent of those over 12 years old, the minimum eligible age for vaccination. In San Francisco 67 per cent of all residents had finished the complete vaccine regimen by Friday.
Chinese cities vulnerable to a higher risk of imported cases, those on the nation’s borders or the largest cities were deemed a priority and had broader access to vaccines, enabling more people to have jabs.