Covid Vaccines Cleared For Emergency Use

The government said on Wednesday that it has now procured enough Covid-19 vaccines to cover Hong Kong’s entire population, as it prepares to launch a universal inoculation programme.

It has also set up an indemnity fund to provide financial assistance to anyone who suffers from serious complications as a result of the jabs.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam told a news conference that the government has now secured another 7.5 million doses of a vaccine jointly developed by Oxford University and Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.

On top of the 15 million doses secured earlier from two sources, mainland firm Sinovac, and German firm BioNTech, that makes a total of 22.5 million doses – enough for the two jabs required for every Hong Kong resident. Priority will be given to high-risk groups.

A new legal framework approved by her Executive Council will pave the way for their use on an emergency basis. The Sinovac vaccine is expected to be the first to arrive, as early as next month.

All of the vaccines have been rushed to market, drawing concern in some quarters about their safety and efficacy.

But Lam noted that more and more data is emerging, and people should look at the cold hard facts, rather than focus on the vaccines' country of origin.

“It’s a question of public education, which will of course be based on scientific data and explanation, that when one looks at the vaccine, it’s their safety, it’s their efficacy, it’s their quality. It’s not a particular place. It’s not a particular sentiment of where do you want that vaccine to come from. Let’s don’t try to politicise what is a scientific issue for the good of Hong Kong,” Lam warned.

The Chief Executive also said she had been misunderstood when she said earlier that people wouldn't have a choice as to which vaccine they can receive.

Lam explained that while people can't just go and have their pick of vaccines, they can wait for the right time and place for their preferred choice to become available.

But she stressed that this doesn’t mean they can pick and choose which vaccine they want at a particular venue.

"I don't see how we can offer different types of vaccines at one site”, Lam said, “that would be extremely confusing, especially [since] each of the three vaccines we bought require two doses.”

The CE also said while vaccine suppliers will be exempted from liability in cases where severe complications occur, the government will be setting up an indemnity fund to provide financial support for those affected.

Officials said they are ironing out the details and would reveal more when they seek funding from the Legislative Council.

The government also announced that starting Thursday, all incoming travellers from the United Kingdom will be required to spend 21 days in quarantine at designated hotels.

The previous arrangement – implemented just a day before – allowed them to quarantine at home for the final week.

The Executive Council has also approved new powers for the government to issue mandatory quarantine orders of up to 28 days, if and when needed.

This comes after health authorities here discovered for the first time a new, more infectious strain of Covid-19 in Hong Kong for the first time.

The new variant has been circulating in the UK, and was found in samples from two Covid patients who arrived from the country earlier this month.

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