Stop Your Sinovac Bashing, CE Tells Medics

Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Monday condemned medical professionals for "smearing" the China-made Sinovac jab, as she and other government officials received their second doses of the Covid vaccine.

“I would condemn a very small minority of people to who try to sabotage our efforts,” Lam said at a press briefing.

“They are spreading fake news, misinformation and rumours on social media and also through other means especially when these people are health professionals," she said.

“I am extremely disappointed because at the end of the day, if Hong Kong has a major outbreak again, the people who suffer will be our healthcare professionals, especially those working in the Hospital Authority facilities.”

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng and Health Secretary Sophia Chan were among those getting their second dose of the Sinovac jab on Monday.

They received their first doses a month ago after deciding that they should be the first in the territory to be inoculated against Covid.

Lam waved a V-sign to reporters while brandishing a certificate proving she is now fully vaccinated against the virus that has ravaged the world since emerging in central China late in 2019.

The CE said she did not feel any discomfort, but had cleared her diary for the afternoon being as experts warn that vaccine side effects can be stronger with the second dose.

“I will monitor my own condition. I don’t need to take a day off so I will continue working in my office,” she said.

Lam said around 350,000 people in Hong Kong had received their first doses of coronavirus vaccine so far, representing 5.3 percent of the city's population aged over 16.

She said this vaccination rate was not bad but could be better, and the government will continue to encourage people to get vaccinated.