Photo:Chen Xia/GT

As China accelerates its mass COVID-19 inoculation across the country to reach the domestic vaccination target of 560 million people by June, there have been individual cases of certain places adopting compulsory measures which are inappropriate, and the practice of mandatory vaccination for all needs to be corrected, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Sunday. 

The recent mass inoculation plans have mainly been carried out in two key sectors, the first to ensure mass vaccination in potential high risk areas such as port cities, border areas and metropolis where epidemic outbreaks have occurred, and the second covering key worker groups including cold-chain workers, medics, government and institutions, schools, supermarkets, logistics and so on, Wu Liangyou, head of the CDC bureau of the NHC, told a press conference. 

China is taking an approach of "getting the people who need it vaccinated and pushing forward vaccination by stage," and as of Saturday, the country has administered a total of 164.47 million jabs, making it the second-fastest country in the world in terms of mass vaccination, according to the NHC. 

"Some places have adopted some inappropriate measures, including a 'one-size-fits-all' or 'compulsory for all' approach, which needs to be corrected," Mi Feng, spokesperson of the NHC, told the conference. 

Some media reported that China offers a mixture of incentives including free food and thank-you notes, which have been interpreted by foreign media as "a campaign prompting a backlash among residents," and that some are "being forced" to receive vaccinations. 

In some places, there is a mandatory approach of requiring all to be inoculated, which should be firmly prevented and rectified, Mi said. 

Wu also noted that in order to push forward the mass vaccination, some places have not taken appropriate measures, though the situation is not widespread, which reflected a lack of organization and management. 

The NHC will continue enhancing guidance of vaccination management at the regional level and carrying out staff training to ensure the vaccine inoculation is carried out in line with law and regulations, officials said.

Global Times