Hong Kong approves China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine

Hong Kong will begin mass vaccinations that next week the government has approved China's as sinovac inoculation for emergency use. The first 1 million doses will arrive tomorrow. Hong Kong has also secured doses of the Pfizer vaccine. More than 2 million people above the age of 60 will be prioritised in the initial rollout. A health care staff will also be first in line to receive the vaccine. As daily infections drop the city as relaxed COVID-19 restrictions, dining hours have been extended, and more people can sit together to eat out sports venues, beauty parlours and entertainment facilities have also reopened. Ron Lim is joining us live for the latest on this and Roland sinovac. He is the second vaccine to be given the green light in Hong Kong and somewhat fast tracked in its approval process.

Yes, the Hong Kong government actually exempted sinovac from actually publishing its efficacy rate and results in its peer medical journals. Remember, that was one of the requirements when biontech wanted its vaccine approved here in Hong Kong before being assessed by Hong Kong, the expert panel of medical medical experts. The worry really is about final backs. Low efficacy rates.

Remember earlier trials, like the ones in Brazil showed efficacy rate of under 50%. But the latest trial results that was shared directly by Seidel back to Hong Kong medical panel to assess whether the vaccine can be used in the city show an advocacy rate of 62.3%. So that's much improved and sine of x is that because the earlier trials, the second jab, the second dose was actually done 14 days after the first whereas the latest results was after 28 days. So that's the protocol that Hong Kong will be following when it comes to designing vaccines. So as a as a result, in conclusion, the size of the panel says that the Sinaloa hydrovac vaccine is approved for emergency use, and simply because that the low efficacy rate risks still doesn't outweigh the possible risk of somebody catching COVID-19 at this point.

This is Carrie Lam. Also, the chief executive also wasted no time in posting on Facebook that she will be taking the sinovac vaccine simply because she says that she had gone on record before to say that she will take the first vaccine that's available in Hong Kong shores. She's hoping Of course, by setting this example that others will follow suit, the biontech back feed that's also still coming into Hong Kong. But that's only expected in later in March at the earliest

did describe for us how the vaccination process will be organised so that as many people as possible get vaccinated.

Right. So what's happening is that as you mentioned, the site of a vaccine 1 million doses arrives in Hong Kong shows tomorrow. online booking for the vaccination programme starts next Tuesday. 2.4 million people will be prioritised in five groups, specifically, the number one the elderly, age 60 and above. And number two will be the homecare workers that work in these residential or home care centres for the elderly. Number three, of course, is the medical staff, the frontline workers, number four will be the discipline of forces, the firemen, the police, as well as postal workers. And finally, number five will be the cross border workers, the air and crew Seaman that helps keep all the exchange of goods open at this point in time. So that's 2.4 million people's. But of course, they only have enough shots for 1 million.

So the rest will have to wait at this point in time for the people who can't get to the vaccination centres or medical workers, for example, will go to these elderly home cast to visit and inoculate the residents there. But for the rest of us, there will be some 29 vaccination centres open across the city. And that doesn't include the 15 government clinics as well as 1500 private doctors that will also have the vaccine available. Members of the public yet can choose if they're still concerned about the efficacy of the vaccine between the sinovac one which will arrive and stop, stop to be used next Friday, or they can wait much longer for the biotech one which also should arrive in Hong Kong. Sure. So the government currently says that there is still some resistance towards people taking the vaccines, the the acceptance rate currently at 30 40% but they're hoping Of course, that with more and more people taking the vaccine that more people will accept it and that if they see those side effects that others will follow suit. Thank you for reading news

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