I don’t remember it because I flew to China two weeks after Mao died, about September 23, 1976 and worked there for close to seven months. We got an occasional month-old Time or Newsweek Magazine, so I probably read about it.
The vaccination program started October 1, 1976, a week after I left the country.
I was only 25 years old at the time and invincible, so didn’t pay much attention to it.
That would have been a fascinating time to be in China. The country was pretty much bicycle-powered as I recall, and people were still getting over the psychological trauma of the Cultural Revolution.
its great hearing some of these stories!
I hope lessons can be learned because it sounds very familiar i.e people panicking and wanting a vaccine RUSHED!