Vaccines Coming To HK Will Be Safe: Sophia Chan

The Health Secretary Sophia Chan on Saturday said the government and experts will ensure the Covid-19 vaccines that Hong Kong buys are safe and effective before purchasing and offering them to citizens.

A million doses of Covid jabs made by mainland company Sinovac could arrive in Hong Kong as soon as next month, followed by the vaccines developed by the German firm BioNTech which are manufactured and distributed by China's Fosun Pharma.

Those are just the first batch of millions of doses that the SAR government had pre-ordered from the pharmaceutical firms.

Speaking on an RTHK radio programme, the minister stressed that local authorities will look at the final clinical data provided by the firms before paying, to ensure their safety and quality.

When asked if there are plans to halt the inoculation programme if a number of people show serious side effects, Professor Chan said the Department of Health has an existing mechanism in place overseeing vaccines' performance like the flu jabs.

She said health authorities would investigate if many people are found to have suffered serious side effects.

She added that the government is still working on plans as to how it can coordinate the transport and delivery of the vaccines, as one of the vaccines types, the BioNTech one, needs to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius or under.

Meanwhile, Professor David Hui, an infectious diseases expert advising the SAR government on its pandemic response, has urged people not to worry about where the vaccines are produced.

His comments come after some expressed worries over the quality of the jabs made on the mainland.

But Professor Hui said that shouldn't be a concern because each and every vaccine has to pass through relevant procedures to prove its effectiveness as it gains the approval from authorities.

Last updated: 2020-12-12 HKT 12:55