Vaccination Target of 40% of 1.4 Billion Population by June, Currently 400 Million Doses Administered
Encouraging Vaccination with Various Benefits Including Mobile Vaccine Vehicles Provided
[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] China is encouraging vaccination by providing a new COVID-19 prevention health code featuring a golden shield emblem to vaccinated individuals.
China's state-run Global Times reported on the 18th that the government of Shandong Province in eastern China has developed a health code with a golden shield emblem and is providing it to vaccinated people.
China's smartphone health code (Jiankangbao) consists of three colors: green (normal), yellow (observation), and red (intensive observation). If a person has visited a high-risk area based on phone records and location tracking, the code turns red, and with this indication, entry to public places such as buildings or tourist sites is prohibited. The newly developed golden shield emblem appears on the initial screen when Jiankangbao is opened, allowing for an intuitive recognition that the person is vaccinated.
As the golden shield emblem became known, the Global Times reported that comments flooded Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo (China's version of Twitter), expressing willingness to get vaccinated in order to obtain the golden shield.
The outlet stated that the golden shield emblem was introduced as an idea to increase vaccination rates. Currently, Shandong Province has vaccinated 22.44 million people, ranking second nationwide in vaccination rate after Guangdong Province. Following are Jiangxi Province, Anhui Province, Shanghai, Tianjin, and nine other provinces and cities with high vaccination rates, which also provide differentiated health codes, the report added.
Earlier, Xinhua News Agency reported that the Chinese government has set a goal to vaccinate 40% of the entire population of 1.4 billion by June. As of the 16th, China has administered over 406 million vaccine doses. Calculated on a two-dose basis, this means 280 million people out of the 1.4 billion population have been vaccinated.
The Global Times reported that to achieve the 40% target, local governments are offering various benefits to vaccinated individuals, such as daily necessities like laundry detergent, wedding photo shoots, admission tickets to famous tourist attractions, and free shuttle bus services.
They also added that mobile vaccination vehicles are being sent to large industrial complexes and major companies to provide convenience by allowing people to get vaccinated easily on-site.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
