Health officials are urging people to get early flu vaccinations before the virus peaks this winter.
Under Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan visited Queen Elizabeth Hospital today to inspect the Hospital Authority's vaccination arrangements for healthcare staff. She joined the nurses in receiving the vaccination.
"Vaccination is an important measure to prevent influenza. The protection rate is expected to be up to 60% to 80%. However, the overall vaccination coverage in Hong Kong, particularly among healthcare staff, has all along been relatively low. In fact, vaccination not only can protect healthcare staff, but also reduce the risk of patients being infected," she said.
Prof Chan hoped that by getting vaccinated with frontline nurses she could raise awareness among healthcare staff and encourage them to receive vaccinations, too. The Government has written to professional nursing bodies and appealed them to get vaccinated as soon as possible, she added.
The authority plans to implement measures to boost the vaccination rate among healthcare workers, while the Government Vaccination Programme was launched in October to provide flu shots for high risk groups.
As of last Sunday, a total of 319,000 doses were administered under the programme, a 16% increase over the same period last year.
