Latest version of vaccination guide

There is no one-size-fits-all compulsory vaccination requirement. All vaccination decisions are made based on "risk priority" - priority is given to ensuring the core immunity of the elderly over 60 years old, patients with underlying diseases, and people with immune deficiencies. Ordinary healthy groups can choose vaccination independently based on their own exposure scenarios and past infection history (including infection + vaccination), without following the crowd.

Last week, Nurse Zhang from the community health service downstairs in my house complained to me that there have been a lot of young people asking about the COVID-19 XBB variant vaccine recently. Many people came to queue in panic after seeing short videos saying that the new variant strain was coming. In fact, most of them had just been infected or had just received the vaccine at the end of last year. After receiving the booster shot, the antibody level in the body is still at a high level, and the benefit from the shot is extremely low. However, there is an 82-year-old man with COPD. His family has been afraid of side effects for more than half a year and has not vaccinated him until now. This is the high-risk group she most wants to get vaccinated.

There has been a lot of controversy recently about the repeated vaccination of the COVID-19 vaccine. The mainstream view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is that all currently approved variant vaccines have passed three phases of clinical verification. As long as the interval between the last vaccination/infection is more than 3 months, the incidence of adverse reactions after vaccination is basically the same as that of the first injection, and it will not cause long-term immune load.； However, some scholars in the clinical immunology department have put forward a different view: if healthy people have had more than three immunization records (including infection + vaccination), the protection of re-vaccination will be less than 10%, and the marginal benefit will be extremely low. On the contrary, there may be short-term immune fatigue, and there is no need to squeeze out vaccination resources for high-risk groups. Both views are currently supported by clinical data, and everyone can make judgments as needed.

In addition to the new coronavirus vaccine that everyone is most concerned about, the adjustments to this year’s routine immunization program are actually quite practical. The applicable age for HPV vaccine has been officially extended to 45 years old. Women who were stuck at the 26-year-old limit and wanted to get the nine-price vaccine now no longer need to rush to get the vaccine. The protective effect of the two-valent and four-valent vaccines is enough to prevent high-risk HPV infection, so there is no need to insist on the nine-price vaccine. In addition, the shingles vaccine has been included in more than 20 provinces and cities across the country this year to benefit the people. Elderly people over 60 years old can get it free of charge with their ID cards. I just accompanied my mother to get vaccinated last month. She hesitated for half a year because of the pain, but only had arm soreness for two days after the shot. Now it is good for everyone - her old square dancing sister got herpes zoster in the spring and was in so much pain that she couldn't even lift her arms. She suffered for less than half a month. If she had known about the free vaccine, she would have taken it.

Many people have been confused by various vaccination taboos spread online before. This year's guidelines have also relaxed a lot of requirements in this area. In the past, people always asked whether they can get vaccinated if they have a cold, whether they can get vaccinated after taking cephalosporins, and whether they can get vaccinated when they are on their period. Now it is clearly stated: as long as it is not an acute disease attack (such as a fever above 38.5°C, an acute attack of asthma), and there is no serious allergic history to vaccine components, minor colds, taking common antibiotics, and menstrual periods will not affect vaccination. There is no need to wait for recovery before taking a trip. If you are really unsure, just take a photo of the medicine you are taking and show it to the social health doctor. He will give you an accurate picture in two minutes. It is much more reliable than searching at home for a long time and getting more and more panicked.

The most frequently asked question recently is the issue of vaccine selection for children, which has always been quite controversial. Many pediatricians will suggest that if financial conditions permit, it is best to get the second-class vaccines for pneumococcal, hand, foot and mouth, and rotavirus before entering kindergarten. Children are prone to cross-infection when they first enter a collective environment, so they can avoid suffering a little less. ； However, some public health scholars feel that there is no need to pursue "vaccines must be given as many vaccines as possible". Most of the second-category vaccines cover self-limiting diseases. Healthy children can usually recover within a week after infection, leaving no sequelae. On the contrary, it is not necessary to give children too much immune stimulation. The choice can be based on the local epidemic situation - for example, if there are many cases of hand, foot and mouth in the area recently, vaccination can be given, and if there are no cases, it can be delayed.

In fact, there is no standard answer to vaccination. Don’t listen to the extreme comments on the Internet that either “all must be vaccinated” or “all are IQ taxes.” The most reliable criterion is always your own physical condition and the epidemic risks around you. I'm really not sure. It's much more useful to ask the social welfare department near my home than to watch short videos for two hours. Oh, by the way, many local social welfare agencies have recently organized autumn and winter vaccination activities to benefit the people. They also give away laundry detergent, eggs, etc. for influenza and pneumonia vaccines. If you need it, you can stop by and ask. It’s not a bad idea to pick up a small piece of wool. 😂