Infected Care Home Residents Also Need Jabs: Expert

A government vaccine adviser, Lau Yu-lung, said on Friday that elderly care home residents should be vaccinated even if they have already been infected with Covid.

Lau’s University of Hong Kong colleague, microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung, said on Thursday that medical teams should be sent to care homes to vaccinate elderly people who test negative in rapid tests and do not have any symptoms.

But Lau expressed his disagreement on an RTHK radio show on Friday, saying while elderly people who are infected will develop immunity, it will be weak.

“I'm sorry, but in the interests of public health, no one will first test someone before vaccinating them. We should vaccinate people who've been infected as well, about one month after their fever subsides. We can vaccinate them as long as they don't have a fever, since all elderly people have coughs,” he said.

“We shouldn't bring those rapid test kits, do nose swabs and only vaccinate those who test negative. We have to remove the barriers for public health. There is no danger involved, and we can't let this slow us down.”

Asked about the infection risk to outreach teams, Lau said things will be safe as long as the medics are under 65 and triple-jabbed, have no chronic illnesses, and adopt proper protective measures.

Speaking on another radio programme, Elderly Commission member Grace Li, who is the CEO of a care home, said the industry believes that every home in the city has already been hit by Covid.

She said Yuen underestimated the situation when he said 70 to 80 percent of elderly care home residents have caught Covid.

Li also said staff shortages are severe due to workers falling ill, and some infected staff have even volunteered to go back to work and take care of Covid-hit residents.

She said it’s important to get uninfected residents vaccinated, in case more Covid waves hit Hong Kong in future.