Hongkongers Left Upset, Frustrated By BioNTech Pause

People turned away from vaccination centres on Wednesday after the government suspended use of BioNTech jabs spoke of their frustration and disappointment, while complaining that officials wouldn't even tell them why their bookings were cancelled.

The government announced at 10am that it was temporarily halting the use of the vaccines, citing problems with the packaging in one batch of the jabs.

Some people who had already arrived at a vaccination centre in Kowloon Tong were sent away with a free packet of face masks.

A professor at City University surnamed Kwan described the government's move as "nonsense".

"I'm frustrated and upset. Whatever risks... they can just say it upfront. The risk is always there and just let people have a free choice. For some people, maybe based on their own experience and information about the scientific evidence, they might be willing to take the shot no matter what," he said.

A woman surnamed Lau said the government could have informed people of the suspension sooner.

"Chaotic. They didn't mention about the reason of cancellation when I entered. They gave us a pack of masks as compensation. I think it's a bit crazy," she said.

A woman surnamed Peterson, meanwhile, said she was disappointed that she will have to wait longer for her vaccination.

"I think I'm just disappointed because it's kind of a relief to have the vaccination so now there's a little bit of uncertainty and it just feels like constantly prolonging finding a solution," she said.

"I guess it's good that the government is being cautious. It's always better to make sure that we keep everybody as safe as possible and vaccinate correctly. I just need to find the time to come back again... it's no problem."