Reasonable To Worry After Sinovac Incidents: Expert

A leading epidemiologist said on Tuesday that it is reasonable for people to be worried about reports of deaths and hospitalisations among those who have received a coronavirus vaccine made by China's Sinovac, and there just isn't that much data available regarding this particular jab.

Professor Benjamin Cowling from the University of Hong Kong noted that around 100,000 people have so far received the Sinovac vaccine in the SAR and the number of deaths has been "really small". But he added that the recent incidents – including three deaths – are concerning.

"It's possible that they [the deaths] are coincidental. But at the same time, it's reasonable to be worried about whether there might be a link between the vaccine and some of the events we've heard about," he told RTHK's Janice Wong.

Cowling said nowhere has much experience regarding the effects of the Sinovac jab on the elderly, and transparency from the SAR government is vital.

"Other parts of the world have been using other vaccines, particularly the BioNTech vaccine and the AstraZeneca vaccine, and we haven't heard too much about concerns of adverse reactions in the days following vaccination," he said.

"For Sinovac, I'm a little bit uncertain about what's the right step next, because we don't have a lot of international experience to rely on with that vaccine."

Asked what the government should do to address public concerns about Covid inoculations, Cowling said it is important to remember that Hong Kong also has BioNTech jabs available.

He said Hong Kong would achieve a higher level of immunity against Covid-19 if people chose this German-made vaccine, adding that he would echo advice that older people with underlying medical conditions should stay away from the Sinovac jab.