Popular Science in Central Plains丨@Grandpa and Grandma, all the questions you care about about the new coronavirus vaccination are here!

Dahe.com (Reporter Shen Hua) At present, the COVID-19 epidemic at home and abroad is still complex and severe. Vaccination with the new coronavirus vaccine has a good effect on preventing severe illness and death. Is it necessary for the elderly to get the new coronavirus vaccine? What should the elderly pay attention to when getting the new coronavirus vaccine? Sponsored by the Henan Association for Science and Technology and the Henan Provincial Health Commission and hosted by Dahe.com, the eleventh issue of "Science Popularization in the Central Plains Hundred Talks" invited Lu Mingxia, director of the Monitoring Office 1 of the Immunization Program Institute of the Henan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Zhao Heping, head of the 21st Century Vaccination Clinic of the Henan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, to visit the Dahe.com live broadcast room to answer questions about "new coronavirus vaccination for the elderly" that netizens are concerned about.

Q&A: These concerns about vaccination can be dispelled

1. The elderly are susceptible to COVID-19 and vaccination is very necessary

"The elderly are susceptible to the new coronavirus. Judging from the epidemic situation at home and abroad, the risk of developing severe illness or even death after being infected with the virus is very different between vaccinated and unvaccinated people, so it is very necessary to get vaccinated." Lu Mingxia introduced that more than 15 million elderly people over 60 years old in Henan Province have been vaccinated, and the immunization population coverage rate has reached about 87%. Judging from a large amount of vaccination data, the vaccine is safe. However, there are still more than 2 million elderly people over 60 years old in our province who have not been vaccinated in time. Here, we call on the elderly who have not been vaccinated, have not been fully vaccinated, and have not received booster shots to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Lu Mingxia, Director of the Monitoring Office 1, Immunization Program, Henan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention

2. There is currently no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine will aggravate underlying diseases

Elderly people over 60 years old often have underlying diseases. There are rumors that the COVID-19 vaccine will aggravate these underlying diseases, especially those with underlying liver or lung diseases. Is this true?

In this regard, Zhao Heping said that there are many sources of knowledge about vaccination on the Internet, and it is difficult to distinguish true from false. I hope everyone will carefully distinguish, try to use professional websites, and listen to the advice of professionals. You can seek guidance from vaccination professionals through the news released by the National Health Commission and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or go to the vaccination clinic. "So far, there is no evidence that vaccination with the new crown vaccine will aggravate underlying diseases. Therefore, elderly people with underlying diseases should not have concerns when getting vaccinated. Vaccine safety is supported by strong data. At present, my country has vaccinated 3.2 billion doses of the new crown vaccine. Elderly friends must not fall behind, and please be sure to get vaccinated on time." Zhao Heping said.

Zhao Heping, Director of the 21st Century Vaccination Clinic at Henan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine

3. Small range of activities and basically staying at home ≠ no risk of infection

The elderly usually do not go out, and they are very careful about wearing masks. Therefore, is it not necessary to get vaccinated? "The range of activities is not large, just near the community, and even if you don't go out much, it doesn't mean there is no risk of infection." Lu Mingxia said that as long as you go out to places where people gather, such as vegetable markets and chess and card rooms, there will be a risk of infection. At the same time, the elderly have office workers, young people, children, etc. living at home, and there is also a potential risk of infection. Especially when the elderly do not go out often, their immunity will decrease, so even if they "don't go out much", they must be vaccinated to obtain immunity in time and reduce the risk of exposure.

"We have also noticed in our daily work that some elderly people do not meet the requirements for wearing masks. Some have their noses exposed outside the mask, and some even pull the mask to their chin. This shows that the elderly are not rigorous in their daily protection and there are external infection risk factors, but the elderly are often unaware of this. Therefore, vaccination is a very necessary protection." Zhao Heping added.

4. There is no evidence that elderly people are more likely to experience side effects and do not need to worry too much

Elderly people have weak immunity. How should they deal with side effects such as pain and fever after vaccination? Zhao Heping said that after vaccination, everyone feels and reacts differently. In theory, there is no difference between the elderly and ordinary adults after vaccination. my country has fully monitored the adverse reactions after the new crown vaccine. The incidence of adverse reactions is not higher than that of conventional vaccines, and there is no evidence that the elderly are more likely to have side effects. Please don't worry too much and get vaccinated actively.

5. Common antihypertensive and hypoglycemic drugs will not affect the effectiveness of vaccination

Some elderly people take medications for a long time, such as antihypertensive drugs, hypoglycemic drugs, etc. Will there be adverse reactions between these drugs and vaccines? Lu Mingxia answered that there are currently three types of vaccines, inactivated vaccines, adenovirus vaccines, and recombinant CHO vaccines, none of which contain live viruses. After vaccination, antibodies are produced through one's own immune response. Common antihypertensive drugs, hypoglycemic drugs, and antibiotics will not affect the effectiveness of vaccination, and there is no need to stop taking the drugs before and after vaccination.

Some elderly people use hormone drugs such as nasal sprays when they have asthma or respiratory diseases in the spring. In this regard, Zhao Heping said that hormone drugs do not affect vaccination because the vaccine is inactivated and will not have a particularly large impact on the human body. During the use of drugs, if you cannot tell whether the drug affects the vaccination, you can bring the drug and the bottle to the vaccination site, and the vaccination doctor will determine whether it affects the vaccination, helping you eliminate your worries.

Convenient vaccination:

There are some things to note when the elderly get vaccinated

1. There is a green channel for elderly people to get vaccinated, and they can also get vaccinated at home

How to solve the problem of inconvenience in vaccination for the elderly who are older, stay at home for a long time, and have difficulty in moving? "Just yesterday, we vaccinated a man in his 90s." Zhao Heping introduced that many vaccination sites have been stationed in the community and can provide services until after 20:00 every day. For the elderly who are not accompanied by their children and do not know how to fill in the vaccination information, there are medical workers at the vaccination sites to provide services; for the elderly who cannot write, there are also convenient measures such as fingerprinting, so every vaccination clinic is able to provide good vaccination services for these elderly people.

2. Ask your doctor before vaccination to determine whether you are suitable for vaccination

Most people over 60 years old have chronic diseases. How should the elderly determine whether they are suitable for vaccination? Lu Mingxia said that most elderly people have chronic diseases of varying degrees, including hypertension and diabetes. According to the vaccine instructions, these chronic diseases are not contraindications to vaccination. If the medication or diet is stable and the body is in good condition, it will not affect vaccination. The specific situation needs to be consulted with the vaccinating doctor before vaccination to determine whether it is suitable for vaccination.

3. Elderly people do not need to make an appointment to get vaccinated

Vaccination requires filling out documents and making an appointment. Some elderly people are illiterate and cannot write, and their children are not around, so they face the problem of not knowing how to operate. In this regard, Zhao Heping introduced that currently, elderly people do not need to make an appointment for vaccination. The vaccination clinic has a green channel for the elderly, and vaccination staff will provide professional guidance for the elderly.

4. After 3 injections, no more booster injections are needed

Do I need to get a booster shot if I have received three shots of the COVID-19 vaccine? Lu Mingxia said that booster shots are very necessary. The booster shot we usually refer to is the third shot, which means that after completing the two shots of the inactivated vaccine, another shot is given six months later. There is also a vaccine that requires three shots, one shot every one month. After three shots, there is no need to get a booster shot.

5. Elderly people who are weaker than others need to be vaccinated

Some elderly people have weak physical foundations and are afraid that they will not be able to properly handle emergencies during the vaccination process. At the same time, they are afraid that going to the hospital for vaccination will increase the probability of infection. In this regard, Zhao Heping said that even if the vaccination department is located in the hospital, it is isolated from other medical departments and has an independent vaccination channel, so there is no need to worry about infection. The new crown vaccination clinic is equipped with ambulances, emergency doctors and rescue drugs. The vaccination safety factor is very high, and there is full protection from the government, medical staff and technical personnel. Vaccination is not only a personal matter, but also a major national event. Everyone's vaccination is closely related to the national epidemic prevention and control.

Lu Mingxia added: "The current prevention and control situation is severe. If you don't get vaccinated, the probability of infection is very high. Failure to get vaccinated in time will also prolong the exposure time and increase the risk of exposure. The weaker the elderly, the more they need to be vaccinated. When getting vaccinated, you must take protective measures, wear a mask, and try to keep a distance of 1 meter."

6. Warm reminder: There are some precautions for elderly people to take when getting vaccinated

What are the precautions for vaccination of the elderly? Lu Mingxia introduced that, first of all, the source of information should be correct. Look at vaccines scientifically. Vaccination is an effective way to prevent new coronary pneumonia under the current circumstances. Do not listen to remarks from unknown sources, and obtain authoritative information from professional channels. Secondly, common drugs and common underlying diseases do not affect vaccination. For example, previous surgery, medication, and illness do not mean that you cannot get vaccinated, but it depends on your current physical condition. If you are in good physical condition, you should actively get vaccinated. Third, after arriving at the vaccination clinic, you should take the initiative to provide the vaccination doctor with your physical health status to help determine whether you can be vaccinated. After completing the vaccination, you need to observe for 30 minutes. During the observation, you should avoid gathering or crowding, and take protective measures.

"Now is the time for booster shots. After one or two basic immunization shots, the immune response of the elderly may be lower than that of young people. However, after the booster shots, the immune response will increase rapidly and will produce better protection. Therefore, we must actively get booster shots after completing the basic immunization." Lu Mingxia finally said.