Hong Kong Expands Vaccination Drive To Under 30s

Hong Kong’s Covid-19 vaccination programme will be expanded to include residents aged 16 to 30, with bookings starting from April 23, the government announced on Thursday.

Sixteen and 17-year-olds will be allowed to get the German-made BioNTech vaccine, while the Sinovac jab will only be available for people aged 18 and above.

At the moment, the vaccines are available for everyone aged 30 and above.

Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip, who is heading the government’s inoculation drive, said the expansion means another 1.08 million people will be eligible to get a coronavirus vaccine and the programme will cover 88 percent of the population.

Nip said 16 and 17-year-olds would need to show a parental consent form at the vaccination centre, with a template for the form available from the booking website.

He said families that include individuals who are unable to take the vaccine – for example, because of chronic health conditions – would be better protected if other members of the family are inoculated and create a protection network around them.