Stay Vigilant Despite Vaccine Availability: FS

The Financial Secretary, Paul Chan, has called on members of the public to remain vigilant about Covid-19 next year, saying people should not be complacent and expect the availability of coronavirus vaccines to solve all problems.

His comment comes two days after Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that a million Covid jabs manufactured by a mainland drugmaker – the first of the more than 15 million secured – could arrive in Hong Kong next month.

Writing in his weekly blog on Sunday, Chan said the effectiveness of the vaccination programme remains to be seen, with the society’s acceptance level for the jabs being a crucial determining factor.

He added that it will also take a considerable amount of time for the majority of the population to get vaccinated.

The financial chief also pointed out that while the vaccine can prevent serious symptoms for patients, it can not completely eliminate the risk of infection.

He called on people to remain vigilant in order to avoid any additional pressure on the already-struggling livelihood and economic situation.

Chan also conceded that government subsidies aren’t a long-term solution - and only amount to a drop in the bucket.

Going forward, he said the government needs to maintain financial stability and preserve funds for unexpected events.

Separately, labour and welfare chief Law Chi-kwong said the first round of mandatory Covid tests for care home workers has detected two preliminary positive cases out of over 37,000 tests.

He said in his blog that the government has ordered a second round of compulsory tests in the next fortnight, and after that, people will only be given a week to get tested.