Covid Jabs Scheme To Cover More Adults, Helpers

The government announced on Monday that it will significantly expand the city-wide coronavirus vaccination programme, covering everyone aged 30 and above, amid a slow take-up rate in the city.

Domestic helpers and students aged over 16 who study outside of Hong Kong will also be given priority to take the vaccines. They can make a booking online from 9am on Tuesday.

The programme was launched on February 26, allowing priority groups such as the elderly and medical workers to sign up for the jabs. But some people appeared to be hesitant about getting vaccinated after reports of deaths and side-effects from some who took the jabs.

Fewer than 200,000 people have received the vaccines so far.

The official heading the government's vaccination drive, civil service chief Patrick Nip, noted some people were adopting a wait-and-see approach while others were keen to get the jabs.

“We notice that there (is) still capacity to handle more, and there are people who do not belong to the priority groups but who wish to be vaccinated early, so the present expansion of the priority groups to include those aged 30 and above basically is to make more people who wish to be vaccinated can get the vaccines and also to streamline the administrative arrangements,” he said.

"People need not provide the proof of their occupations, or their companies, or their sectors that they belong. They just show their ID card and make the online booking and then get the jabs. So it will make the whole process, you know, smooth and more efficient."

Nip said Hong Kong currently has one million doses of Covid-19 vaccines produced by mainland company Sinovac and 1.34 million doses from German drug maker BioNTech.

He also said 12 more vaccination centres will be open, taking the total to 27. People can also book and take their jabs at more than 2,000 private clinics.

Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan reiterated that the vaccines are safe, and that no link has been established between the jabs and the reported deaths.

She noted that there have been coronavirus outbreaks in the city after social-distancing measures were relaxed last month, and said getting vaccinated is the only way to make sure our lives can return to normal.

“The more people get vaccinated, the faster they get vaccinated, the better that they’re protected, not only as an individual but also in a community, as well as improving or helping with the control of our epidemic situation,” she said.