Chongqing - On April 2, a makeshift COVID-19 vaccination site in Yubei District was officially opened. At 9 a.m., many citizens were lining up in front of the Yubei Gymnasium for appointments to get vaccinated.

Vaccines under citywide unified allocation make citizens feel safe to be vaccinated.

The makeshift COVID-19 vaccination site is located in Yubei Gymnasium, covering 25,000 square meters. Outside the gymnasium, there is a giant board for vaccination. Citizens can follow the board's instructions to make an appointment for immunization via WeChat, while seniors who are not familiar with online appointments can make an appointment on-site with their ID cards.

Inside the gymnasium, several areas have been set up according to vaccination requirements, including a waiting area, a health screening area, a vaccination area, an observation area, and an emergency area. Staff members are arranged in each area to provide guidance and consultation.

"People who come for vaccination must have good personal protection," said the head of the vaccination site. After receiving a temperature check, citizens can enter the vaccination site, scanning the Yukang Code, and then following the instructions on the board for health inquiry, registration, and vaccination. After vaccination, citizens have to wait for 30 minutes in the observation area converted from the stand. If there are no abnormalities, they can leave after re-checking and stamping.

"We have set up 50 appointment desks and 50 vaccination desks. It is the largest one in Chongqing at present," said Wang Jieqiang, head of the vaccination site; citizens aged 18 to 59 can come here for vaccination. On the premise of sufficient vaccine supply, the vaccination site can provide 12 hours of service every day, which is convenient for nearby citizens.

There are 47 vaccination sites in Yubei District after the opening of the vaccination site, with a daily inoculation capacity of 35,000 doses. The vaccines at the vaccination site are under citywide unified allocation. All the medical staff members who provide vaccination have received a strict review and professional training. All vaccines are under 24-hour temperature monitoring. Citizens can rest assured of getting vaccinated.

Citizens feel reassured because many people get vaccinated

At about 9:40 a.m., Mr. Shi, a property worker in Lanting Xinduhui community, and his co-workers came to the vaccination site to line up and get vaccinated. At 10:10, he went to the observation area after vaccination.

Upon hearing the news that the vaccination site was about to open, Mr. Shi's company made an appointment for COVID-19 vaccination. More than 9 a.m., Mr. Shi and his co-workers set out from the company. It is more than a 10-min drive from his company to the vaccination site. In about 30 minutes, they completed the whole process of vaccination. "That's a lot shorter than expected."

The medical staff patiently told Mr. Shi the matters needing attention after vaccination, such as not eating spicy food and not bathing within 24 hours. Mr. Shi took them all to heart.

"It's reassuring to see so many people coming to get vaccinated," said Mr. Shi. Some of his friends still have concerns about vaccination, so he wants to eliminate their concerns by getting vaccinated himself this time.

"We've long wanted to get vaccinated, but we don't know how to make an appointment." Ms. Lin, who lives in the Zhonghang Feicuicheng community, and her husband came to the vaccination site. They didn't know how to make an appointment online, so they made it on-site under the staff's guidance.  

Ms. Lin said she knew that many communities were available for vaccination appointments, but she didn't know how to make an appointment online or didn't want to bother others. She was a little hesitant about getting vaccinated. It wasn't until two days ago when she knew that the vaccination site was about to open and that the on-site appointment was available, she and her husband decided to take a look at it. "They are very patient, and we got vaccinated quickly." Ms. Lin, who was sitting in the observation area, shared her experience with her friends in a WeChat group and told them it was necessary to get vaccinated.

The COVID-19 vaccination sites in Chongqing are working on the vaccination. As of April 1, the city had recorded a total of 3.809 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.