bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Mandy Zuo

Residents in major mainland cities have rushed to book flu vaccines as experts warn of the combined risks from flu and Covid-19 in the coming autumn and winter.
Some private hospitals offering presale of the self-paid vaccine have seen the product sell out within hours as people anticipate high demand amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Experts have warned that diagnosis will be more difficult for doctors, the death rate will rise and more social resources will be in demand when the flu comes together with Covid-19.
Only about 30 million flu shots are given each year in China, covering 2 per cent of the Chinese population, according to official data.


Jiahui Health, a private hospital in Shanghai, offered about 17,000 shots that could be booked via its online store and all were bought within a few days.
American-Sino Women’s and Children’s Hospital, another private hospital, said it offered around 300 presale shots recently and they were sold out within just half a day.
US faces ‘worst’ flu season, 300,000 Covid-19 deaths by December
The vaccines are distributed by the government to medical organisations. Most flu shot appointments are not usually available until September.
Chen Lixia, a 40-year-old mother in Beijing, said she had never had a flu vaccine before, but this year she had booked for her entire family in advance.
“If we get flu, we’ll have a fever and need to go to hospital. I’m hoping my family has to visit hospitals as little as possible because they’ll be high-risk places with the coronavirus pandemic,” she said.


Wang Chen, one of China’s top experts in respiratory diseases, has urged more people to have flu shots this year because of fears that the seasonal disease would further complicate the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Each year there are many deaths from flu, and if this is to combine with Covid-19 there will be a big shock to social mentality and social order,” he told an annual meeting of the China Association for Science and Technology at the weekend.
Wang, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said to prevent the spread of both flu and Covid-19, more people should be vaccinated.
In the initial outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, some 18 of every 50 patients with a severe case of Covid-19 also had flu at the same time, according to Sun Tieying, a Beijing-based respiratory doctor who worked in Wuhan.
Tao Lina, a Shanghai-based vaccine expert, said it had been difficult to book flu shots in major cities, yet 20 per cent of vaccine supplies were wasted each year because of inconsistent distribution and varying demand across different areas.
He said calls for a higher vaccination rate seemed to be unrealistic now because manufacturers were being cautious in production.
“Manufacturers need to pay for transport and medical waste treatment during the disposal of expired vaccines. They could lose money if this is not properly handled,” he said.
“Besides, most manufacturers have finished production now and are waiting for approval from the government to go to the market,” he said. “They could increase production but the process would be long and there would be the risk of sluggish sales.”


Despite public concerns about the return of the coronavirus in winter, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said there would not be another outbreak like the one in Wuhan.
Outbreaks in the northeast in April and May, Beijing in June, and Xinjiang in July were all brought under control promptly, he said at a press conference on Tuesday.
“These facts show that we have the ability to identify cases in the early phase and control the spread in time,” he said.


Trump-Xi diplomacy put to test thanks to tit-for-tat Covid lawsuits

Wuhan mayor best known for defending city’s slow response to Covid faces corruption probe

US vaccine sceptics are now in charge. That’s bad news for the world

Covid cases reaching a peak in China and will start falling next month: leading expert

Coronavirus China

Rush for flu vaccine in China as doctors and a nervous population fear influenza season colliding with Covid-19

Only about 2 per cent of the population of mainland China gets a flu shot each year, according to official data. Photo: Shutterstock

Coronavirus: developing a vaccine is one problem to solve, getting people to use it is another

Medical and public health experts are keen for people to overcome vaccination hesitancy for communities to reopen. Photo: Xinhua

Coronavirus: Chinese vaccine giant quotes higher price for doses

Sinovac has not disclosed its price range for coronavirus vaccine doses. Photo: Xinhua

Coronavirus vaccine: Chinese scientists plan joint trials with Russia despite doubts over ‘world-beating’ breakthrough

Russia has approved a Covid-19 vaccine without finishing mass clinical trials. Photo: EPA-EFE

China Iinfectious disease expert Zhong Nanshan. SCMP/ Thomas Yau

News

China

People & Culture

Coronavirus

Greater China


Concerns include putting greater pressure on doctors and services and of patients being more exposed to coronavirus if admitted to hospital for flu
Manufacturers appear hesitant to expand their production to avoid waste, says vaccine expert



Concerns include putting greater pressure on doctors and services and of patients being more exposed to coronavirus if admitted to hospital for flu.
