'Public Confidence Key To Vaccination Programme'

The chairman of the Hospital Authority, Henry Fan, has urged Hong Kong people to sign up for a Covid-19 vaccination as soon as possible, as he cautioned that only staunch support for the inoculation programme would allow the SAR to return to normality.

Speaking on RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong programme on Sunday, Fan said vaccines offered a "ray of hope" in the fight to end the pandemic, as long as people take the opportunity to get inoculated.

"The key to success of this vaccination programme is public confidence," Fan said. "Only if a substantial portion of the population is willing to receive vaccination can there be herd immunity, and vice versa.

"Some countries have launched such vaccination programmes and achieved some success in controlling the spread of the pandemic and restoring normal activities.

"I am confident that Hong Kong can also succeed, but only with the staunch support of the community.

"People of Hong Kong, you have been vigilant in the past 14 months in observing various restrictive social measures; I urge those of you who are fit and suitable for vaccination to show the same solidarity and come forward to receive the vaccination."

Government figures release late on Saturday showed that some 330,000 people had received their first dose of vaccine, with 224,000 opting for the Sinovac and about 106,000 receiving the vaccine from BioNTech.

Vaccination bookings have increased sharply in the past week as the government extended eligibility to everyone aged 30 and over, having previously set the age limit at 60.