Patients' Group Calls For Clarity In Vaccine Info

The head of a local patients group has called on the government to do more to educate the public about its inoculation programme, following the deaths of two people after receiving the Sinovac jabs.

Speaking after attending RTHK's City Forum on Sunday, the chairman of Hong Kong Patients’ Voices, Alex Lam, said even though both cases are still under investigation, many people are now reluctant to get the shots.

Lam said information disclosure is crucial in helping Hong Kongers make informed decisions, and stressed authorities must simplify and clarify the complicated data currently available on the Department of Health's website.

"It is important that sufficient information with clarity is provided to citizens to understand... because after all it is for themselves to decide whether to accept the vaccine or not,” he said.

"Of course they can rely on the advice from the medical professional, but without the resources and the timing of such advice, it will be difficult for citizens to understand whether they are suitable to receive the injection."

Meanwhile, Wallace Lau from the government’s expert panel on Covid-19 vaccine told the same programme that even though trained medical personnel are stationed at all community vaccination centres, they may not be familiar with an individual's medical history.

He urged members of the public, especially those with chronic illnesses, to seek the advice of their own family doctors before signing up for the jabs.