Secretary for Health receives seasonal influenza vaccination (with photos)
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Professor Lo said, "SIV is one of the most effective means to prevent seasonal influenza and its complications. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza virus infection. To be prepared for the current summer and possible winter influenza seasons in one go, I strongly appeal to all members of the public to receive SIV as early as possible."
SIV can effectively reduce the risks of serious illnesses and death. All members of the public aged 6 months or above, except those with known contraindications, should receive SIV. With the concerted efforts of the Government and various sectors of the community (including the medical sectors, schools, parents and residential care homes), over 2.03 million doses of vaccines were administered under the various SIV programmes in the previous year of 2025/26, with overall coverage rates of the target population remaining similar to those of the preceding year. Among children and adolescents, the SIV rate for persons aged 6 months to under 18 years reached 64.8 per cent, which is 13.1 percentage points higher than the average for the same period over the past three seasons (51.7 per cent). The vaccination rate for adolescents aged 12 to under 18 years reached 61.4 per cent, representing a substantial increase of 22.6 percentage points compared with the average for the same period over the past three seasons (38.8 per cent). Under the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination School Outreach Programme (SIVSOP), more than 2 300 schools (representing 99 per cent of all schools) completed SIV outreach activities by the end of December 2025, up from 91 per cent in the preceding year.
The Government will launch the 2026/27 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programmes, including the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme (VSS), the Government Vaccination Programme, the SIVSOP and the Residential Care Home Vaccination Programme next Thursday (September 17) to provide free or subsidised SIV for children and adolescents aged 6 months to under 18 years; adults aged 18 to 49 with chronic medical conditions (regardless of financial status); persons aged 50 or above (including the elderly living in residential care homes); pregnant women and healthcare workers, and others. For the 2026/27 SIV programmes, the Government has procured approximately 1.3 million doses of four types of influenza vaccines. These four types of vaccines and their suppliers have all met Hong Kong's strict regulatory requirements for pharmaceutical products. The Government has also procured 300 000 vaccine doses for eligible doctors under the Pilot Scheme on Vaccine Procurement for Doctors (Pilot Scheme).
Professor Lo added, "The Government has consistently accorded high priority to the SIV programmes and has, on an ongoing basis, introduced enhancement measures every year with a view to raising vaccination coverage rates. This year, the Government will implement four optimising initiatives, which are optimising vaccine procurement arrangements with the diversified, non-single-supplier procurement approach to help mitigate supply-chain risks, ensuring the reliability and sustainability of vaccine sources; introducing a new Electronic Consent Form feature through eHealth, which enables members of the public to submit their e-consent forms for the SIVSOP and the VSS via the eHealth mobile application, facilitating public participation in the vaccination programmes and streamlining the administrative procedures for healthcare service providers and schools; increasing the number of influenza vaccine doses to 300 000 for the Pilot Scheme while expanding the eligibility groups of doctors to further enhance the stability of the vaccine supply in the private market; and strengthening the mobilisation of community resources and collaborations with more units in promoting and arranging vaccination activities in the community to jointly expand the protection barrier in society."
For more details, members of the public may call the CHP at 2125 2125 or visit the Vaccination Schemes page.
Ends/Monday, September 7, 2026
Issued at HKT 18:28
Issued at HKT 18:28
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