Chongqing - Jorah Kai, a renowned Canadian author, and English teacher currently living in the city with his wife Xiaolin, recently received his first dose of Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency live-streamed the whole process to better inform the country's foreigners on how to get inoculated with the China-developed vaccines and encourage more people to do the same to achieve herd immunity against the coronavirus.

According to an instruction poster put out by the hospital, foreigners and compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao should first make an appointment online before actually coming to the vaccination site to receive their doses. After that, the whole process for a person to line up and walk out takes about an hour, including registration, injection, and the post-injection observation period of 30 minutes.

Jorah Kai signs an informed consent letter and disclaimer papers at the reception desk. (iChongqing/Truman PENG)

Kai showed up at the vaccination clinic a little bit earlier than the scheduled time and was warmly greeted by the hospital personnel at the reception desk, almost all of whom are trained to communicate with foreigners in fluent English. He was first required to show his appointment time and appointment number and then had his temperature taken for a basic health screening.

Before paying for the vaccination, Kai was presented with an informed consent letter and a disclaimer paper indicating that he's fully aware of the possible risks for taking the vaccine, which he signed after reading them.

The actual injection step for Kai came very smooth and ended in almost a blink of an eye. However, he's still required to stay in the observation room for 30 minutes before departure so that doctors can better tend to his needs should any adverse effect happen after inoculation.

Jorah Kai receives his first dose of the China-developed COVID-19 vaccine. (iChongqing/Truman PENG)

"The western COVID-19 vaccines have been reported to have some side effects, despite being generally quite effective. But, that said, the safety and effectiveness of China-developed vaccines have been widely acknowledged in more than 70 countries around the world, and that's pretty amazing," Kai told Xinhua reporter while waiting in the observation room.

Chongqing rolled out its plan for foreigners living in the city to get vaccinated in April and has designated two hospitals for that special purpose. They are the Raffles Hospital Chongqing, the city's first-ever international general hospital, and the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, where Kai made his appointment.

It is recommended that people should not come for inoculation on an empty stomach and must bring a valid identity document such as an ID card or passport and their social security cards. Foreigners who have already participated in the social security and medical insurance programs share the same treatment of local citizens, i.e., free of charge for COVID-19 vaccination. However, those who don't have a Chinese social security card are still eligible for vaccination, only that they have to pay a CNY100 fee for each dose of vaccine. In addition, due to the various specifications of COVID-19 vaccines currently available in China, there may be a slight difference in how many doses you should take to be vaccinated, ranging from only one shot to three shots.

Jorah Kai talks to a reporter with Xinhua News Agency while waiting in the observation room. (iChongqing/Truman PENG)