| The vice head of Shenzhen No. 3 People's Hospital became the first person to receive the A/H1N1 vaccine Friday (Oct 30)聽when free Vaccination started throughout the city.
Yang Daguo, vice director of the hospital, also known as Donghu Hospital, said at the Sino-Link community medical center in Luohu that he hoped his inoculation would send the message that the vaccine is safe, addressing concerns among the public regarding the safety of the vaccine.
Yang was among 29 medical personnel from Donghu Hospital, the city's disease control and prevention center (CDC) and its Luohu branch to be inoculated Friday. The first batch of 320 doses of the vaccine has been shipped to the center.
People who receive the vaccine are required to sign an agreement stating that they have been informed of the potential side effects. These include fever, headache, nausea, muscle pain, and among others. But none are life-threatening, according to Xie Xu, director of the city's CDC.
Xie said more than 220,000 people have been inoculated nationwide so far. About 18 people in every 100,000 inoculated have reported side effects.
The first stage of inoculation targets medical workers, public servants at checkpoints and other government agencies exposed to the flu, as well as schoolchildren. The program will be expanded to cover the general public next March.
Editor: Miranda
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