Today, to all the parents at home! Please share "A loving family"

Expert in this article: Yang Jing, PhD in Immunology, author of popular science on vaccines (viral vaccine development, vaccine clinical research direction)

As of 3:39 pm on May 13, 2022, 517,648,631 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,261,708 deaths, have been reported to WHO worldwide. As of May 9, 2022, a total of 11,655,356,423 doses of vaccine have been administered.

(WHO official website data https://www.who.int/home)

The global coronavirus pandemic is causing unprecedented devastation and suffering, with a disproportionate number of deaths affecting older people.

The risk of severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age, especially among the elderly, who are at higher risk of hospitalization, intensive care, and use of ventilators after infection.

CDC data on deaths from COVID-19 in the United States show that COVID-19 vaccination for people aged 65 and over can effectively reduce the risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization (94%). More than 80% of COVID-19-related deaths occur in people aged 65 and over, and the risk of death from COVID-19 infection in people aged 80 and over is five times the global average COVID-19 mortality rate.

Therefore, it is particularly important for the elderly to get vaccinated. Have the elderly in your family been vaccinated?

What will happen if you don’t get the COVID-19 vaccine?

A safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is considered the only intervention to curb the global pandemic of the new coronavirus, and this goal can only be achieved when people are less hesitant about COVID-19 vaccination.

Vaccine hesitancy, the delay or refusal of vaccination despite the availability of vaccination services, was listed by the World Health Organization as one of the top 10 public health issues for 2019 because it could reverse progress against diseases preventable by existing vaccines.

Infectious diseases that were almost eradicated have been reported to have resurfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic in many parts of the world, such as measles virus cases, which have increased by nearly 30% worldwide.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

The situation of hesitation in getting the new coronavirus vaccine is also very complicated. Some elderly people do not go out often and think that the risk of infection is not great; some elderly people have an unknown fear of the vaccine and resist getting vaccinated; of course, there are also some elderly people who take a wait-and-see attitude, lack knowledge about the vaccine, and do not understand the publicity.

Little do people know that it is very necessary for the elderly to get vaccinated. The epidemic situation is severe, so don't hesitate to get the new coronavirus vaccine.

Why do older people need to get vaccinated against COVID-19?

Potential harms of not getting vaccinated in healthy elderly people:

Older adults who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine are at higher risk of infection, hospitalization, and death from SARS-CoV-2;

Severe illness means older people with COVID-19 may need hospitalization, intensive care or a ventilator to help them breathe, or they may die.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

The Technical Guidelines for COVID-19 Vaccination (First Edition) recommends that people aged 60 and above be vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines. They can refer to the guidelines for recommended immunization schedules and choose appropriate COVID-19 vaccines according to their needs. Existing clinical data show that all approved COVID-19 vaccines have good safety and immunogenicity.

Elderly people with special concerns should actively consult outpatient doctors, understand the risks and benefits of vaccination, and correctly understand and respond to the initiative for COVID-19 vaccination.

How can the elderly carry out scientific epidemic prevention?

As they age, the elderly population experiences immune decline, which is manifested in immune cells as a decrease in the expression and diversity of B lymphocyte antibodies after vaccination. At the same time, before vaccination, T lymphocytes show an increase in the proportion of terminally differentiated effector T cells and memory T cells, resulting in a weakened ability to produce T cells specifically against the new coronavirus.

Immune decline is believed to be the direct cause of low antibody levels produced by vaccination in the elderly population.

Therefore, in order to reduce the risk of infection with the new coronavirus, the elderly should actively understand the possible risks of infection and take good care of themselves.

Learn about COVID-19 prevention and control to protect yourself and others

In addition to completing the full course of COVID-19 vaccination, elderly people who are able to move and have social behavior must still take the following measures to reduce the possibility of COVID-19 infection.

Strictly wear masks, maintain a social distance of 1-2 meters and reduce the length of social interaction;

Reduce the number of people going to and from crowded and complex public places;

Disinfect yourself and your belongings;

Be physically active and maintain adequate nutrition.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Special elderly groups, timely drug storage

Elderly people with chronic diseases or conditions should stock up on common medicines and receive online outpatient health consultations, and try to reduce face-to-face communication with others, especially in indoor environments.

This group of people with low immunity should maintain a stable psychological state to reduce the possibility of sudden illness;

Keep personal hygiene and disinfection in place, especially of hands;

Avoid frequently touching your eyes, ears, mouth, nose and other parts with your hands to reduce the risk of infection;

Clean and disinfect frequently touched items regularly.

If you think you are at risk of being exposed to the new coronavirus and may have symptoms of novel coronavirus pneumonia, report to your community in a timely manner and undergo a nucleic acid test for the new coronavirus; when you need medical treatment, seek medical treatment in a timely manner.

It is recommended that healthy elderly people actively respond to the new crown vaccination initiative, complete the full course of new crown vaccination, and protect you, me, him/her around them.

What are you waiting for?

Throw it into the "loving family" quickly!

The watermarked images and cover images in this article are from the copyright gallery, and the image content is not authorized for reprinting