Experts highlight importance of vaccinations to elderly

Vaccinations will play a bigger role in protecting the health of the elderly population, especially when cities like Shanghai have an aging population, said Guo Xiang, director of clinical trials and post-market evaluation of vaccines at the Institute of Immunization Planning, the Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, during a media interview on Tuesday.

In addition to sports, adequate rest, and a balanced diet, getting vaccinated as early as possible is also an important approach to safeguard senior residents' health and prevent the onset of certain diseases, said Guo, adding that vaccination not only provides protection for individuals but also helps reduce the burden that diseases have on society.

Due to their weakened ability to deal with pathogens, elderly people face a significantly greater risk of contracting infectious diseases. Experts suggested that the elderly be vaccinated against COVID-19, influenza, pneumococcal and herpes zoster.

A decade ago, Shanghai was the first city on the Chinese mainland to provide pneumococcal vaccines to its elderly residents for free. More than 1.74 million individuals benefited from this move, said Guo.

"Research and development of vaccines based on different technology routes have been accelerated over the past few years and we believe that the public will have a rising variety of options for vaccination plans in the future," Guo said.

Latest official figures show that there are currently more than 5.42 million permanent residents aged 60 and above in Shanghai, accounting for 36.3 percent of the city's permanent population.