COVID-19 vaccination drive opens in Hong Kong

Around 29 community vaccination centres will be set up.

With the Sinovac vaccine's debut arrival in Hong Kong, up to 60,000 people have signed up for inoculation which will start on 26 February, within 12 hours after the booking process has opened.

Around 29 community vaccination centres (CVC) will be set up by the Hong Kong government to provide vaccination services for citizens who have made bookings through the online booking system.

The first five CVCs to commence operations will provide the Sinovac vaccine, whilst the 24 CVCs which will subsequently commence operations are planned to provide the Fosun Pharma/BioNTech vaccine that will arrive shortly in end-February.

The government will partner with the hospital authority and a number of healthcare professional bodies, medical organisations, and private hospitals to take charge of the medical-related tasks at the CVCs.

"Vaccination is a top priority of the anti-epidemic measures. Members of the public are encouraged to fight the virus by getting vaccinated early so as to enable Hong Kong to overcome the pandemic completely as soon as possible,” a government spokesman said.

Chief executive Carrie Lam was also vaccinated at a public event on Monday to give reassurance amidst fears surrounding the vaccine.