Beijing
Elderly Chinese people are being neglected by the authorities despite the detection of the new Omicron subvariant recently in the country.
China, where COVID-19 was first detected, has been witnessing a new surge in cases and authorities have ramped up efforts to boost vaccination rates.
In Beijing, residents are already required to show proof of a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours to enter all public places. The city has also required people who work in epidemic prevention and control, health care, public transport, delivery and other higher risks sectors to be fully vaccinated. As of January, 98 per cent of Beijing’s over 20 million residents have been fully vaccinated, including 12 million people who have received a booster shot, according to a government statement.
But the vaccination rate among the elderly is lower. As of April, 80 per cent of Beijing residents over 60 had been vaccinated, source reported.
The fact that several elderly people over the age of 60 have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 in China might be a deliberate action by the authorities to leave the aged people out of the protection radar, considering them to be a burden on its economy.
In spite of having ample medical resources like hospital beds and antiviral pills, a vast majority of elderly people over 60 years have not been vaccinated as of yet, source reported.
