BEIJING — China's disease control experts have called for efforts to guide and encourage the public to get inoculated voluntarily and ensure all people eligible for vaccination have access to it.

Recent new cases in Yunnan's Ruili city are a reminder that the pressure of imported cases has not subsided, and the risk of the epidemic spreading in individual regions due to new imported cases remains, said Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vaccination is an important strategy to prevent and control COVID-19, and herd immunity can only occur when the vaccination rate reaches around 70 to 80 percent among the whole population, Wu added.

Anything below that can only bring about individual immunity, and that cannot block the spread of a possible epidemic resurgence once new sources appear, he said.

COVID-19 vaccines not only shield one's own health but also that of younger and older family members, said Wu Liangyou, an official with the National Health Commission.

China is currently rolling out its vaccination in priority regions, including port and border cities with high risks of imported infection, big and medium-sized cities, and regions with a history of cluster infections. Priority populations, including cold chain, medical, and public sector staff, are also receiving the vaccines, he added.