'Vaccination Incentives Will Be Considered'

The Health Secretary Sophia Chan said on Saturday that the government would look into the feasibility of introducing some incentives to encourage people to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Professor Chan said the authorities would consider measures such as allowing those who have received a vaccine to enter certain premises, to visit care homes and hospitals, or to be exempt from other social distancing measures.

During a radio programme, Professor Chan also said there could be travel benefits for the vaccinated. But she said other jurisdictions would only be willing to relax restrictions with Hong Kong once it had a higher overall vaccination rate.

Infectious diseases expert David Hui, who was appearing alongside her, agreed. He said Hong Kong's vaccination rate was only around 4 percent and that there were still Covid cases here with no clear source of infection. He said if Hong Kong could hit a rate of 50 percent, things would go much more smoothly.

“If the general public actually is actively taking part in the vaccination programme, then I think we’ll see fewer and fewer outbreaks in the community. By then, a lot of the social distancing measures can be relaxed,” Hui said.

Professor Hui also played down safety concerns over the BioNtech vaccine, after a 66-year-old man died three days after receiving a BioNtech shot, saying it was unlikely that the patient’s death was linked to his vaccination.

The case, reported by the authorities on Friday, is the first known death of a patient here who had recently received the German-made vaccine.

Professor Hui, who advises the government on the pandemic, said it's more likely that the man had died because of existing cardiovascular disease, adding that government experts would look further into the case before coming to a conclusion about the cause of death.