Across China, a series of incentives such as upgraded QR health codes with a “dynamic golden shield effect” for those inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines have been rolled out across the nation to encourage Chinese citizens to get vaccinated.
An upgraded QR health code with a “dynamic golden shield effect” together with a melodious sound effect for people who have completed their inoculation procedures was rolled out in East China’s Shandong Province recently, receiving a warm welcome among Chinese internet users with many on China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo claiming that they would get vaccinated to obtain the “cool” golden shield.
The original, green-colored health code was rolled out across the nation soon after the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic last year. With informatization and big data technologies, the health code made Chinese residents’ lives more convenient and smooth amid the epidemic, and enabled economic activities to resume.
At present, the health code plays the role of advertising and promoting vaccination. A total of 21.22 million people in Shandong have been vaccinated as of May 8, ranking second across the nation after South China’s Guangdong Province, where over 22.44 million have been vaccinated.
So far, nine provinces and cities such as Jiangxi, Anhui, Shanghai and Tianjin have followed suit and upgraded their health codes for inoculated people.
Besides health codes, local governments and departments have worked out a variety of creative measures to encourage Chinese residents to get vaccinated and achieve herd immunity, which involves immunizing 40 percent of the country’s population by June.
In some cities, advertising banners using slogans adapted from pop song lyrics or created based on internet buzzwords have been noticed.
Many vaccination sites have attracted local residents to get inoculated using rewards such as daily necessities like laundry detergent, and foods including cooking oil and milk. Other innovative rewards include free tourist attraction admission with shuttle bus services and free wedding photos.
In addition to convenient door-to-door inoculation services in large-scale enterprises, industrial zones and schools, some cities such as Shenzhen in Guangdong Province have begun using mobile vaccination vehicles that drive into residential compounds to provide inoculation services.
A mobile vaccination team was formed in Weishan county in Shandong to inoculate about 140,000 fishermen scattered on over 580 islands around the county.
As of May 16, a total of 406.94 million doses of vaccines have been inoculated across the nation, according to statistics from China’s National Health Commission.
Screenshot of the golden shield health code from Sina Weibo
