HK covid vaccine rollout could be stalled by delivery delay

January 15, 2021 10:21
Photo: Reuters

Health expert Leung Pak-yin on Thursday warned that Hong Kong's Covid vaccine rollout next month might be stalled, if jabs produced by mainland company Sinovac cannot be delivered on time.

Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan estimated earlier that members of the public can get vaccinated through the vaccination programmes led by the Government free of charge from February.

The Government’s goal is to provide vaccines for the majority of the population within this year, Chan said.

A member of a special taskforce in charge of the city's coronavirus vaccination programmes, Leung said it is a "major problem”, according to RTHK reports.

one million doses of vaccine from Sinovac is expected to arrive in Hong Kong in January at the earliest, but the mainland firm has since delayed the release of results from some of its late-stage trials.

Leung said authorities had hoped to first give the Sinovac jabs to the elderly, because the Sinovac jabs are easier to handle, compared to other options, such as the vaccine developed by BioNTech.

"Whether the Sinovac vaccines can be approved and arrive in Hong Kong soon will have a great impact on our vaccination plan," he said.

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