Mask Requirements Dropped, Covid Boosters at Three Months & More Covid News
Masks are now only "recommended" (rather than required) in most situations and wait times for Covid booster shots have been shortened from six to three months for some, Chinese news sources reported yesterday.
The first big news is that masks have been officially downgraded from "required" to "recommended", which has been more or less in the works for a few weeks, with cities across China dropping mask requirements for public transit.
Now, Shine.cn reports this is a national policy, though mask use is still strongly recommended for use in certain public areas and areas where there is a high risk of transmission such as hospitals.
According Shine, China’s State Council announced on Wednesday, Apr 12 that masks are now only recommended in areas with large crowds or enclosed spaces where people are close together, such as supermarkets, movie theaters, and bus stations. Masks are no longer necessary in outdoor public spaces or indoor spaces where there is little ebb and flow of outsiders.
Masks continue to be strongly advised for the elderly, pregnant women, and those with chronic diseases when visiting indoor public spaces, the report continues.
You can read the full text of the mask guidelines in original Chinese here.
In other Covid news, China’s National Health Commission has reduced the recommended interval time for a booster shot, according to the Global Times. Previous recommendations were that six months should go by between shots, and those that have been infected should wait six months before getting a booster. The recommended interval has now been altered to three months in both cases, the report said
Of the international hospitals we reached out to, we could only confirm OASIS International as now offering boosters at the three-month interval.
One clinic, Raffles Hospital Beijing, told us the Beijing CDC have informed them individuals who have had two to three shots and caught Covid on top of this don't need any more boosters. This was echoed by Beijing United Family Hospital, who said they were also only offering vaccines for those who had not yet received any at this time.
The Global Times report goes on to talk about newly available vaccines – a protein subunit vaccine called SCTV01E, developed by Sino Cell Tech; and a locally-developed mRNA vaccine – the first of it's kind to be rolled out in China – made by CSPC Pharmaceutical Group. Both have now been approved for emergency use.
READ: New Workers' Stadium Reopening This Saturday, Apr 15!
Images: Unsplash, The Beijingers
