Govt Slams 'evil' Rumours About Vaccine Procurement

The government on Monday said online rumours that its decision to procure certain Covid-19 vaccines was politically motivated were completely unfounded, saying rumour-mongers are acting with "evil intentions".

It went on to say that the procurement is solely based on prevailing scientific evidence, with the aim of providing the safest and most effective vaccines for the entire population as soon as possible.

It firmly refuted rumours on social media that the decision was made for the transfer of benefits to the mainland or individual companies, and expressed deep regret over the "malicious act".

Last week, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the government had secured 7.5 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine from the mainland company Sinovac, as well as the same number of doses of the vaccine developed by the German firm BioNTech in collaboration with China's Fosun Pharma.

An agreement with AstraZeneca, which is developing another coronavirus vaccine with the UK's Oxford University, for 7.5 million jabs is being finalised, she added.

Lam also warned against politicising the choice of mainland-manufactured vaccines on Friday, when asked about previous vaccine scandals on the mainland in the past.

"Don't get involved in politics," she said at the time. "Look at it from a totally depoliticised perspective. This is about science. This is about evidence. The experts will look at it and this drug would be authorised for use not only in Hong Kong, but in other places of the world."

The government on Monday said the vaccines purchased by the government are "frontrunners" in terms of their progress. It said the decisions were made after considering their safety, efficacy, quality, and supply. It did "not in any way involve political factors," it reiterated.