When the news of the first Covid-19 vaccines appeared, it seemed as if it would take ages until the real shots could get to the public.

But the speed of creating, producing and distributing the new vaccines in China has been picking up rapidly — and in today’s reality, you can get an appointment for vaccination from the app within 10 minutes, at the location of your choice.

This would’ve seemed unbelievable a few months ago, but today people are preoccupied with another question: which vaccine to choose?

In this article, we take a look at the current situation with vaccines in China, available types of vaccines, and the process of booking an appointment to get the vaccine. 

• Types of Chinese Vaccines
• A step-by-step process for booking a vaccine appointment
• Useful vaccine-related vocabulary

Types of Chinese Vaccines

China began rolling out public vaccination campaigns in March 2020. The first shots for foreigners became available in March 2021.

Since then, there have been 5 vaccines developed and used nationwide, with 2 of them approved by WHO:

• Beijing Sinopharm (北京生物 Běijīng Shēngwù) by China National Pharmaceutical Group, approved by WHO in 2020;
• Beijing Sinovac (北京科兴 Běijīng Kēxīng) by SinoVac Biotech, approved by WHO in May 2021;
• Wuhan SinoVac (武汉科兴 Wuhan Kēxīng) by Wuhan Institute of Biological Products;
• CanSinoBIO (康希诺生物 Kāngxīnuò Shēngwù) by CanSino Biologics, Academy of Military Medical Sciences;
• Anhui Zhifei by Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine

• Chinese name: 北京生物 (Běijīng Shēngwù)
• This brand of vaccine is not recommended for persons younger than 18 years old
• WHO recommends the use of this brand of the vaccine in pregnant women when the benefits of vaccination outweighed the potential risk
• People with a history of anaphylaxis to any component of the vaccine should not take it
• Anyone with a body temperature over 38.5ºC should postpone vaccination
• It is recommended to use 2 doses in an interval of 3-4 weeks between the first and second dose
• SAGE (is the principal advisory group to WHO for vaccines and immunization) assessed the data on the quality, safety, and efficacy of the vaccine
• Safety data are limited for persons above 60 years of age
• This vaccine has not been yet evaluated if it works against new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus
• Meanwhile, it is recommended to still maintain and follow public health measures such as wearing a mask, keeping a safe distance, washing hands, and general cough hygiene.

Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine

• Chinese name: 北京科兴 (Běijīng Kēxīng)
• On June 1st WHO has validated the Sinovac vaccine for emergency use
• Sinovac is an inactivated vaccine, which means that it’s easily stored and manageable for transportation
• It is recommended for use in adults over 18 years of age
• It is recommended in a two-dose spacing of 2-4 weeks in between
• Efficacy could not be estimated in older adults over 60 years
• WHO recommends that countries using the vaccine in older age groups conduct safety and effectiveness monitoring to verify the expected impact and contribute to making the recommendation more robust for all countries.

How to Book a Vaccination Appointment in Shanghai

1. Scan the QR Code with your WeChat

The official system for booking vaccination appointments is called 健康运 (Jiànkāng Yùn, “Health Cloud”). They have a WeChat mini-program and an app, but the app only works for Chinese citizens.

You can start booking your appointment by scanning this QR code in your Wechat:

2. Fill in the form

The system allows you to change the language to English. Hospital locations where you can book your appointment will be shown according to the district of your residence address. In our case, we decided to book an appointment in one of the hospitals in the Changning district. After clicking “Registration for Foreigners in Shanghai”, you’ll be asked to fill in your personal information. After submitting you will receive a message with confirmation.

We suggest you keep this QR code close by, as you will need to present a confirmation code upon arrival at the hospital/vaccination point. 

3. Bring Your Passport and Arrive Early

On the day of your first round of vaccine dose make sure you arrive at least 15 min before your actual appointment. Once you arrive, you will need to register with your name and your passport number. (Make sure to bring your passport).

Once you are done with the registration you will be asked to pay the vaccine fee (100rmb per dose or covered by insurance).

4. Get the Vaccine Shot

After paying the fees you will then enter the room where you’ll receive your first (or second dose). Here you will have to show again the barcode which can be found scanning the same QR code as shown above.

DRINK A LOT OF WATER FROM NOW ON 🙂

5. Get Some Rest

After receiving your dose you will be asked to stick around for another 30 mins for observation. The whole process takes less than an hour and is very well organized and smooth.

Vaccine-related Vocabulary

疫苗 (yìmiáo) • vaccine
打疫苗 (dǎ yìmiáo) • to get vacinated
接种第一针 (jiēzhòng dìyī zhēn) • to get the first shot
接种第二针 (jiēzhòng dì’èr zhēn) • to get the first shot

登记 (dēngjì) • to register
预约 (yùyuē) • to book (an appointment)
取消 (qǔxiāo) • to cancel

北京生物 (Běijīng Shēngwù) • Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine
北京科兴 (Běijīng Kēxīng) • Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine

For more vocabulary, read our post about useful words related to the COVID-19 symptoms.

Hope you now know more about Chinese vaccines and have also learned some new useful words!