Baby BioNTech Shots 'may Be Available Next Month'

A government pandemic adviser, Lau Yu-lung, said on Wednesday that the baby version of the BioNTech coronavirus jab could be available in Hong Kong as early as next month.

This comes after the government said it had received an application from the vaccine manufacturer to supply the shots to Hong Kong. The lower dosage, if approved, would be for children aged between six months and five years old.

Lau, who's also chair paediatrics professor at the University of Hong Kong, said it shouldn't take too long for the authorities to complete their vetting of the jabs.

"Obviously the bottleneck is when the pharmaceutical [company] will be able to send those vaccines to Hong Kong. I suppose as soon as it's in Hong Kong it will be put into use immediately," Lau told RTHK.

Last month, the government approved the use of Sinovac jabs for children as young as six months.

Lau said the arrival of the BioNTech shots should help boost the vaccination rate among the under 3's, which is currently at around 15 percent.

He said this level is not satisfactory, adding that vaccination is the best way to protect young children from serious illness brought on by Covid infections.