No matter what a person’s reason is for moving to Beijing, one thing is true for all people in the city: You have to breathe the same air as everyone else. As unpalatable as this truth may seem, given the general quality of Beijing’s air to begin with, it becomes even more so when we begin to enter flu season. Already temperatures are starting to dip, and people will soon be breaking out their winter apparel to bundle up for the winter. What’s more, other countries in the Asia-Pacific region have already been experiencing aggressive flu strains this year. In light of this, arrangements have been made in Beijing to encourage people to get flu shots before the situation gets out of hand. Here, Pacific Prime discusses Beijing flu shots, why fears of an epidemic are warranted, and how you can protect yourself and your family from the flu this winter.
Reduced cost for Beijing flu shots
The flu this year has been especially present in some locales, and Pacific Prime is happy to be part of taking steps to address this fact in Beijing. Our local office is proud to have arranged a discount with local clinic Amcare to deliver reduced price Beijing flu shots to all who Pacific Prime clients who pass through the medical facility’s doors (while supplies last, of course).
This means that you can now obtain a Beijing flu shot for a special discount price of RMB 80. What’s more, for groups or companies that would like to insurance more than 20 members at a time, Amcare will even arrange to have flu shots administered on site at your office! This is a great opportunity for those that want to make sure their staff remains healthy through the winter months.
Those that are worried about the effectiveness or legitimacy or various vaccines administered in China will be happy to know that the particular flu vaccines being used through this promotion are Vaxigrip flu shots from Sinofi Pasteur. This renowned vaccine from a prominent French pharmaceutical company actually administers four different influenza strains to patients, thereby providing four times the protection as a single strain shot. These vaccines are produced in France, and properly transported and stored with Amcare so that you can be sure that the Beijing flu shots are both safe and effective.
To get one of these jabs for yourself, please find Amcare with the following information:
Amcare Primary Care & Out Patient Services Center
美中宜和综合门诊中心
No. 3, Yiyuan, Anhuibeili, Chaoyang District, Beijing
北京市朝阳区安慧北里逸园3号
Phone: 010-52346555
http://www.amcare-clinic.com
“Do I really need a flu shot this year?”
Well, beside the fact that yearly flu vaccination is still the single best way to prevent seasonal influenza infection, all one need do in order to find a reason to take advantage of the above promotion is look around the world at the state of influenza. For example, having now just gotten through their cold months, Australia has reported that influenza cases in 2017 started considerably earlier than in previous years.
The country saw drastically more cases of influenza in June and July this year than any of the five previous years. Fortunately, this number normalized in August, with rates of infection falling below levels seen from 2014 through 2016. Still, the disease had done its damage, resulting in over 75,000 flu cases from January to August this year. The closest number of cases for the same period within the past five years was in 2015, which saw almost 68,000 cases. 2013, on the other hand, only saw a paltry 15,000 or so cases.
As could be expected, the flu this year in Australia affected senior citizens particularly harshly, and the state of Queensland saw more hospitalizations among this demographic than it had in the previous five years.
Moving closer to Beijing, another Chinese city, Hong Kong, has also been going through its own problems with influenza; even in the hotter months of the year. By the middle of July, the city saw over 23,000 cases of influenza in its hospitals. This resulted in the deaths of three children and over 200 adults.
The disease also left hospitals in Hong Kong scrambling to address the needs of patients, as public hospital wards filled up to the point that the government had to enlist private facilities to address patient overflow.
Protect yourself
Clearly 2017 has produced some especially nasty strains of influenza that have had a strong impact people and healthcare systems in many countries. Will northern China, and Beijing in particular, see similar trends? At this time all anyone can do is speculate and prepare. What we do know is that flu season is coming quickly, and those that are most at risk (i.e. children, the elderly, and the sick) would do well to take steps to address the risk that influenza poses to them.
You can take advantage of a discount on Beijing flu shots this time, but for the next flu vaccine you need – as well as the whole spectrum of vaccines that are available to the public – the price tags can really add up for individuals and families. In the event that you do develop the flu, the cost of treating it can be even higher.
In order to best address the costs of vaccines, influenza treatments, and all your other medical needs, contact the helpful health insurance professionals at Pacific Prime China! They can present you with a comparison of the best plans available on the market, and provide you with a free price quotation.
Disclaimer: Pacific Prime China solely represents, operates and manages locally regulated insurance products and services in the territory of PR China. Any references to Pacific Prime Global Company or Group, the international services, insurance products or otherwise stated written or verbally, is for introduction purposes about our overseas network only as each entity is fully independent.