By The SUN
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| Nip and Chan announce extending the vaccination program to new groups (RTHK photo) |
All foreign domestic helpers, residents aged 30 and above, as well as overseas students will be among the next priority groups for the Covid-19 vaccines, health officials said in a press conference this afternoon.
Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip, who is in charge of the government’s vaccination program, made the announcement in a joint press briefing with Secretary for Food and Health Dr Sophia Chan.
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Nip said that starting at 9am tomorrow, those included in the new priority groups can book an appointment for taking the jab at Community Vaccination Centers or 18 general outpatient clinics of the Hospital Authority, or go to a private doctor.
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As with all previous bookings, all that the new applicants have to do is to sign up with their Hong Kong ID cards and provide a mobile phone number where they can get their booking confirmation and a reminder about their appointments.
Those signing up can also book their appointment for the second dose, which should be administered within 21 or 28 days, depending on which vaccine they choose.
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Currently, residents may choose to get the jab from either the mainland company Sinovac or the US-German group Pfizer/BioNTech. A third vaccine procured by the Hong Kong government from the Swedish-Anglo company AstraZeneca/Oxford University is not due to arrive until the second half of this year.
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| Immigration staff were in the 2nd priority group for the vaccines |
The first priority group for the vaccine shots in Hong Kong were those aged 60 and above and medical frontliners. Second priority was given recently to teachers, workers in the catering industry, construction workers, market vendors, drivers of public transportation, and other people who deal with large groups in the course of their work.
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Nip said there is no problem with the supply of vaccines as the current inventory is enough for two doses for one million people in Hong Kong.
A million doses of the Sinovac vaccine was sent in one go to Hong Kong from Beijing, while the two shipments from Pfizer/BioNtech resulted in about 1.2 million doses being kept in storage here.
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To date, 198,000 people in Hong Kong have already received the first dose of the vaccine of their choice, accounting for only 3% of those allowed to take the jabs, meaning those aged 16 years old and above.
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The vaccines are free and are administered voluntarily, although the government aims to inoculate as many people as possible to achieve herd immunity.
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This comes amid fears that Hong Kong is now in the grip of a fifth wave of Covid-19 infections, after more than 100 cases were linked in just five days to a gym in Sai Ying Pun.
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