103-year-old man gets COVID-19 vaccine jab

JINAN－It has been more than 10 days since Shan Zhigao, a 103-year-old man from Shandong province, was given his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at home.

"The centenarian said it didn't hurt and that he didn't feel anything when we asked how he felt after," said Wang Lijun, head of the Wangshuanglou Health Center in Rangu, Shan's hometown.

Shan is the town's oldest inhabitant to get the jab. Since July 1, the health center has sent out two teams to vaccinate thousands of inhabitants over the age of 60.

"We have worked out a special plan for the elderly. With Shan, for example, we called his son on July 2 and set up a physical examination after confirming the relevant information," Wang said.

Four medical workers went to Shan's home to carry out an examination that included measuring his blood pressure, blood glucose and performing an electrocardiogram.

The results showed that he was in good health. A team of three visited Shan at his home on July 6 and gave him his first dose of the Sinovac vaccine, and the centenarian was under observation for just over an hour afterward. He will receive the second shot on July 27.

Shan Shaozhu, Shan Zhigao's son, who is in his 70s, said that after getting the jab himself, he told his father that the elderly could also get vaccinated.

"When he heard this, my father was willing. He likes to go out and walk around, and the vaccination will make him feel protected," Shan Shaozhu said.

As of Saturday, about 1.45 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered on the Chinese mainland, the National Health Commission announced on Sunday. It said on Friday that COVID-19 vaccinations should be voluntary, and advised some areas that had been planning to impose restrictions on the unvaccinated to change their approach.