Beijing began scheduling COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged 12 and older yesterday (Oct 18). As Jingkids reported back in August, the capital had cleared vaccines for use in 12- to 17-year-old locals and began administering them to kids aged 14, 15, and 16 on Jul 20. Now, however, both local and foreign passport holding teens can make an appointment to get the jab for free.
In anticipation of what will surely be an influx of expat teens making appointments, Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU) has made their booking system straightforward and transparent. Currently, BJU’s shots are only administered to those living or working in Chaoyang District at BJU’s hospital in Lido and the two clinics in Jianwai Diplomatic Residence Compound and Guangqumen Clinic.
To begin your booking, call BJU at 400 891 9191 and follow the instructions in the automated messaging system to receive the following text message.
Click on the link in the SMS message and fill in the appointment form. BJU will then make appointments in order of the submissions received. Beijing expat parents who have already made vaccination appointments for their kids reported that they received confirmation within a couple of hours after their online application was submitted.
The vaccine currently available for teens is the same as those for adults; either the Chinese-produced Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccines. While both are available, you will not be able to select which brand you get.
According to reports in Global Times, both the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines were administered to children as young as 3 during clinical trials held earlier this year. The vaccines were well-tolerated and resulted in the presence of antibodies, reports indicate.
After you’ve successfully made your appointment, remember to bring your original passport or ID card, and children under the age of 14 need to bring their vaccine records and be accompanied by a parent. If parents cannot make the appointment, they must complete an Authorization Consent form in advance.
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Images: Pexels, Mina Yan
