China will enhance COVID-19 inoculations and booster shot coverage for the elderly to protect them from becoming severely ill, Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the National Health Commission, said in a news briefing on March 18.

Vaccines can provide strong protection against severe cases and death. Therefore, it is imperative to enhance vaccination coverage for this demographic, he said.

Of the 264 million people aged 60 and above in China, more than 221 million of them had already been fully vaccinated as of March 17, Zeng said. While over 80 percent of those aged between 60 to 79 had completed their inoculation courses, only 50.7 percent of seniors aged 80 and above had done so.

As for booster shot coverage, about 56.4 percent of elders aged 60 to 69 had received a follow-up shot. This figure is 48.4 percent for those aged 70 to 79, and 19.7 percent for those above 80.

With a weaker immune system and underlying health conditions, the elderly population runs a significantly higher risk of severe symptoms and mortality compared to young adults, Zeng said.

Data from the recent COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong showed that the death rate of vaccinated patients was around 0.04 percent, while the death rate was 1.25 percent for the unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated, Zeng said, adding that 90 percent of those deaths were among the elderly.

To achieve vaccination coverage for the nation's elderly, China will enhance education on inoculations for seniors. Healthcare workers, experts and the media should address seniors' worries and concerns such as whether vaccines might exacerbate their underlying health conditions, Zeng said.

Local authorities should also organize and encourage seniors in nursing homes to be inoculated, and create a safe environment for the elderly to receive the vaccine.

Additional measures will be taken to make vaccines more available and accessible for the elderly, such as providing mobile vaccine clinics and door-to-door services for seniors who have trouble getting around, or express lanes for senior citizens at vaccination sites so that they don't need to wait in line, Zeng said.