Children vaccinated

Nearly 84.4 million children between 3 and 11 have been vaccinated against COVID-19 across China, and over 49.4 million among them have had booster shots, a health official said on Saturday.

The health authorities will continue to promote vaccination in this age group, Wu Liangyou, an official with the National Health Commission, said at a press conference.

Wu added that all children between 3 and 11 without medical contraindications would likely complete vaccination by the end of this year. Universities, middle schools, and primary schools are advancing vaccination based on unified deployment of the country, said Wang Dengfeng, an official with the Ministry of Education, noting that over 95 percent of Chinese students above 18 have received the COVID-19 vaccine.

Climate declaration

China and the United States have signed a joint declaration to address the global climate crisis during the next decade, marking one of the most significant breakthroughs yet to come out of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, or COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland.

The declaration, which is called the U.S.-China Joint Glasgow Declaration on Enhancing Climate Action in the 2020s, was announced on November 10 by China’s special climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua, and U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, John Kerry.

Landmark resolution

A high-profile meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has adopted a landmark resolution on the major achievements and historical experience of the CPC’s 100 years of endeavors, according to a communique released on Thursday.

The resolution was reviewed and adopted at the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, held in Beijing last week, said the communique of the plenum. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made an important speech at the session.

Depression screening

The country will include screening for depression in student health checks amid efforts to prevent the mental disorder among teenagers, according to a statement released last week by the Ministry of Education.

The statement was released in response to a proposal on preventing depression among teenage students put forth by the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, China’s top political advisory body, during its fourth session from March 4 to 10 this year.

A record of students’ mental health will also be kept so as to track their health status on a regular basis and offer timely interventions if they show signs of mental conditions, said the statement, noting that a system for the prevention of the illness will be put in place. (SD-Agencies)