By The SUN
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| Studies show BioNTech vaccine can be safely given to kids as young as 12 (photo NPS) |
Children aged 12 to 15 can now receive the BioNTech coronavirus jab, after the Hong Kong government lowered the age limit to protect adolescents from the virus and allow them to return to normal school and daily life.
Health Secretary Sophia Chan decided to lower the minimum age for the jab from 16, after taking into account the views of an expert panel on Covid vaccines, the government said in a statement.
The Advisory Panel on Covid-19 Vaccines studied the application for lowering the age limit, along with the relevant clinical trial data, before advising Chan to approve it.
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“Having regard to the advice of the Advisory Panel, and having considered the
threat to public health posed by Covid-19, the SFH considered that the benefits
of lowering the age limit for receiving the Comirnaty (BioNtech) vaccine
outweigh the risks,” the statement read.
“Not only can it protect adolescents from Covid-19 infection, it can also
enable them to resume normal school and daily life as soon as possible.”
The statement said relevant arrangements for giving the BioNTech vaccine to
adolescents aged 12 to 15 will be announced early next week.
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A member of the expert panel, David Hui, had earlier quoted data from the manufacturer showing that the vaccine could offer 100% protection for those aged between 12 and 15.
He said children in this age range also had more antibodies than people in the 16-25 age group.
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BioNTech is also recommended for pregnant and lactating women, but not Sinovac.
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| The Indonesian DH tested positive on her third day of quarantine at Silka Hotel in Tsuen Wan |
Meanwhile, an Indonesian domestic helper aged 37 who arrived
on May 30 was confirmed today as
Her case took the city’s tally to 11,850, and marked the 41st straight day that no untraceable infection has been recorded.
A staff from the Centre for Health Protection said the woman flew in via Garuda flight GA786 and was asymptomatic.
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It was the same flight taken by three other Indonesian DHs who tested positive for a coronavirus variant on arrival in HK on May 30, prompting a two-week suspension to be imposed on Garuda starting on Jun 1.
The CHP staff said the woman in today's only recorded case has a low viral load, which makes it impossible to tell whether she also carried the mutated virus.
She stayed at Silka Far East Hotel in Tsuen Wan, where her third-day swab test returned a positive result.
The Hospital Authority said a total of 31 confirmed patients are being treated in 13 public hospitals and the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre.
Of these patients, one is in critical condition, another is serious and the remaining 29 are in stable condition.
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