​The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, attended a COVID-19 vaccination event in Yau Tsim Mong District today (October 30) to thank the public for their support for vaccination. She also took the opportunity to urge the public to encourage their friends and family members to get vaccinated, in particular the elderly and children who are unvaccinated.

     Mrs Yeung said, "With the concerted efforts from all sectors of the community, the third dose vaccination rate of elderly persons aged 70 or above has risen to slightly above 70 per cent. As for young children aged below three, their first dose vaccination rate stays only at 18 per cent. I hope that more parents would actively arrange vaccination for their children. We need much more support from the elderly and parents to achieve building a sound protective barrier for Hong Kong. If people rush to receive the jab only when there is a rebound of the epidemic situation, taking into account that it takes around two weeks after the date of vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body, there may not be sufficient time to allow the vaccine to take effect. We should not underestimate the harm bought about by the COVID-19 virus. In the fifth wave of the epidemic, nine children aged below 11 who were confirmed to have infected with the COVID-19 virus have passed away. Elderly persons also have a relatively higher chance to suffer from more serious illness should they get infected, and they may have after-effects after recovery."
       
     The COVID-19 vaccination event in Yau Tsim Mong District is co-organised by the Yau Tsim Mong District Office, the Yau Tsim Mong Healthy City Executive Committee, the Yau Tsim Mong District School Liaison Committee and Medical Conscience. Mrs Yeung hoped that District Offices, school heads associations and oragnisations from various districts could maintain their efforts to promote COVID-19 vaccination.

Ends/Sunday, October 30, 2022
Issued at HKT 13:40

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