'16pc Of Younger Children Vaccinated Against Covid'

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Ingrid Yeung, said on Saturday that about 16 percent of children aged between six months and three years, have been inoculated against Covid-19 since the Sinovac vaccine became available for them some seven weeks ago.

Yeung said this means around 87,000 children in this age group are still unvaccinated, and urged parents to bring their kids for the shots as soon as possible.

The official in charge of the vaccination drive in Hong Kong also called on parents not to believe in rumours circulating online about some serious side-effects of the vaccines, saying experts have explained the drugs are safe and effective.

She noted the manufacturer of the BioNtech vaccine is planning to ship the jabs for younger children to Hong Kong, adding authorities are preparing additional vaccination venues to handle the possible demand.