'Govt Move Could Resolve Initial Vaccine Shortage'

The president of Hong Kong Doctors Union, Henry Yeung, on Friday said a government move to supply 100,000 doses of influenza vaccines to private doctors could help tackle an immediate shortage.

There’s been a rush for influenza vaccinations as health experts have warned that the city might be hit by influenza and coronavirus at the same time this winter.

Private doctors have complained they had run out of flu shots and queues of people were seen outside clinics waiting to get vaccinated.

The Health Bureau announced overnight that it would allocate 100,000 doses of flu vaccine to private doctors who have joined a government subsidy programme to vaccinate people in high-risk groups, such as young children and the elderly.

Yeung said the arrangement could help private doctors vaccinate those in need as early as possible.

“The government’s wish to transfer 100,000 to the private sector is a good solution to the imminent problem,” he said.

“For the time being, I think it can cover a period of one month. It depends on the subsequent shipping of the vaccines overseas to Hong Kong."

"We’ve asked the drug companies to order more for doctors in private practice. We shall wait and see whether the drug companies can fight for us in the market,” he said.

The government also sought to allay concerns over a vaccine scare in South Korea, where some people have died after getting flu jabs. It said none of the flu vaccines registered in Hong Kong are supplied by South Korea, adding that the authorities will closely monitor the situation.

Yeung told RTHK's Wendy Wong that people should not be worried, stressing that it is safe to get flu vaccines in Hong Kong.

“We’ve been vaccinating so many people all these years. We haven’t seen any accident or fatality,” he said.

Speaking on an RTHK programme, respiratory medicine specialist Leung Chi-chiu said the situation in South Korea was unusual. He said the government there should hold a quick investigation into it.