On the morning of December 26, the second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccination started at Machang, Xiancun Subdistrict of Guangzhou's Tianhe District. As for the choice of the second booster, Wang Ming, Expert of the Guangdong Preventive Medicine Association, suggested that people can choose to receive recombinant protein vaccine or adenovirus vector vaccine if having received three doses of inactivated vaccines.

(Photo: Nanfang Daily)

On December 14, the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council announced that China would offer a second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to vulnerable groups who had received their first booster shot more than six months ago.

How to choose the second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine? 

Wang Ming said that all the vaccines which are approved for marketing or for emergency use can be used for the second booster dose. He recommended that residents give priority to the vaccines with different technologies to the previous vaccines they have gotten. It is also advised to choose the Omicron vaccines or those with good cross-protection against the Omicron strain.

Is it necessary to receive a vaccine after being infected with Omicron?

Wang Ming said that if people have already been infected with Omicron, there is no need to get a fourth dose for the time being. "Because the effect of natural immunity can last for half a year, it is recommended to wait until half a year later to evaluate whether it is necessary to vaccinate again."

In his opinion, residents do not need to hesitate too much about vaccine choices, especially for elderly people. Both recombinant protein vaccine and other type can effectively reduce the risk of infection, hospitalization, severe disease and even death after infection. Therefore, Wang Ming advised all residents to go to the nearby vaccination sites to get a booster jab as soon as possible.

COVID-19 will be downgraded from a Class A infectious disease to Class B starting from January 8, 2023. Currently, COVID-19 is classified as a Class B infectious disease but is subject to the preventive and control measures for a Class A infectious disease in China.

After the adjustment, do we need to take the COVID-19 vaccine every year? 

Wang Ming can't give an exact answer but he believes that there is a high probability that the fifth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will come up. "Now, the government is still monitoring the COVID-19 virus to study its pathogenicity and transmissibility, so as to formulate prevention and control strategy."