The Government announced today (May 5) that about 600 000 extra doses of the CoronaVac vaccine have been purchased to cope with the demand for COVID-19 vaccination. The batch of vaccines has been delivered to Hong Kong from Beijing today. Together with the earlier batches, about 9.1 million doses of the CoronaVac vaccine have been purchased in total.

     Soon after the arrival of the new batch of the CoronaVac vaccine, staff carried out stringent checking and inspection on the vaccine in accordance with established procedures to ensure that it complies with the product specifications and that the transportation process follows the relevant cold-chain requirements.

     "Given the high transmissibility of the Omicron mutant strain, members of the public must still stay vigilant even if the epidemic situation has subsided a little recently. Deaths and severe cases involving children and elderly persons, who are our focus of protection in vaccination, have been recorded in the fifth wave of the epidemic. Vaccination is highly effective in preventing severe cases or deaths from COVID-19. We strongly appeal to members of the public who have not been vaccinated to get vaccinated with no delay. Members of the public who are currently eligible for a third or fourth dose should also get the dose as soon as possible. Details of the programme can be found at the designated website (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk)," a spokesman for the Government said.

Ends/Thursday, May 5, 2022
Issued at HKT 18:00

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