It is still unsure whether Hong Kong will administer a third dose of the Covid vaccines for Hong Kong citizens as a booster jab, according to the city’s vaccine panel chair.
Chairman of the government advisory panel on Covid vaccines, Professor Wallace Lau Chak-sing, said Hong Kong has engaged in public discussion on whether to provide a third Covid jab for citizens.
Lau said he wishes to make reference with relevant vaccine data from the United Arab Emirates, before making any moves.
The United Arab Emirates had in May offered an additional dose of the Chinese-developed Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine to people who have already received two shots of the vaccine more than six months ago, which is among the first in the world.
It later also made the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine available as a booster shot to those initially immunized with the Sinopharm vaccine.
Meanwhile, Lau said despite Hong Kong’s city-wide vaccination program having a bad start with people hesitated to get the jab, the recent vaccination rate has been improving with the government and businesses providing incentives to encourage vaccination.
“It is expected that Hong Kong ‘s vaccination rate will climb to 70 percent in October,” said Lau.
Lau said he wishes to make reference with relevant vaccine data from the United Arab Emirates, before making any moves.
The United Arab Emirates had in May offered an additional dose of the Chinese-developed Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine to people who have already received two shots of the vaccine more than six months ago, which is among the first in the world.
It later also made the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine available as a booster shot to those initially immunized with the Sinopharm vaccine.
Meanwhile, Lau said despite Hong Kong’s city-wide vaccination program having a bad start with people hesitated to get the jab, the recent vaccination rate has been improving with the government and businesses providing incentives to encourage vaccination.
“It is expected that Hong Kong ‘s vaccination rate will climb to 70 percent in October,” said Lau.