Expert Plays Down Mainland Vaccine Concerns

A prominent microbiologist said on Thursday he's not worried about the safety of Covid-19 vaccine developed by China as long as it's approved by mainland health authorities.

The first batch of a million doses from Sinovac is expected to arrive in Hong Kong next month.

Ho Pak-leung from the University of Hong Kong told an RTHK programme that since the fourth wave of infections started, around 170 patients had been in a serious condition, with around 20 related deaths.

"Even if the vaccines will cause serious side-effects, which I believe there will be, they won’t be common," Ho said.

He said people in high-risk groups need to consider the possibility of becoming seriously sick or even death if they aren't immune to the coronavirus.

"When there’s comprehensive clinical data in January, I think people who are aged 50 and above, regardless if you have chronic diseases, should consider getting vaccinated," he said.

Ho added that no one knows if the two other vaccines developed in Europe with brand new technologies could cause side-effects, as only a small number of people were involved with the clinical trials.

He pointed out that the technology adopted by the mainland vaccine manufacturer, on the other hand, has been widely used in other vaccines.

Sinovac is developing an inactivated vaccine that exposes the immune system to the virus, without risking a serious response.

Meanwhile, the president of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists, William Chui, said the government should consider compensating those who develop serious side-effects after being vaccinated.

While Chui encouraged people to get vaccinated as soon as possible to reduce infections, he said an official database should also be set up to keep track of any serious side-effects.

He added that it’s common practice to waive the responsibility of the manufacturers if the vaccines or drugs authorised for emergency use come down with problems.

The health secretary, Sophia Chan, on Wednesday suggested that the government might do just that, saying the arrangement is in line with international practice.

She'd previously said the government would hold the vaccine manufacturers accountable.