Vaccine procurement plan explained

September 18, 2020

Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan:

As far as vaccine procurement is concerned, we use a two-pronged approach in our strategy for procuring vaccines. First is that we have already joined the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX), which will eventually provide about 35% of vaccines to the people according to the Hong Kong population. Second, we will also look into the scientific data, and also the latest data provided by different vaccine manufacturers to be scrutinised by the Department of Health’s scientific committee so that we can look at the safety, the efficacy as well as the quality of the vaccines to ensure the vaccines that we will be procuring are up to standard. I have also said earlier that we will procure at least two types of vaccines from two different manufacturers and two different vaccine platforms. Of course, the selection would be, again, based on scientific data scrutiny. 

As far as the (quantity of vaccines) is concerned, we would like to procure at least two times the Hong Kong population for the reason (that in case) one of the vaccines that we procure cannot be successfully manufactured for whatever reason. All those vaccines are only in their third stage of clinical trials right now. We have to review the data and look at the situation before we can procure those vaccines. So procuring (an amount) two times our population would provide a safety net so that if one of the vaccines doesn’t work out, we would still have enough vaccines for the people in Hong Kong.

(To watch the full press conference with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Government plans to procure COVID-19 vaccines to cover twice the population of Hong Kong.

Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan made the remarks at a press conference today where she said the Government is taking a two-pronged approach in procuring vaccines.

Prof Chan said the Government has already joined the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX), which will provide vaccines to 35% of Hong Kong people.

“We will also look into the scientific data, and also the latest data provided by different vaccine manufacturers to be scrutinised by the Department of Health’s scientific committee so that we can look at the safety, the efficacy as well as the quality of the vaccines to ensure the vaccines that we will be procuring are up to standard.

“I have also said earlier that we will procure at least two types of vaccines from two different manufacturers and two different vaccine platforms. Of course, the selection would be, again, based on scientific data scrutiny.”

Regarding the quantity of vaccines, Prof Chan said the Government would like to procure the equivalent of at least two times the population of Hong Kong in case one of the vaccines cannot be successfully manufactured.

“All those vaccines are only in their third stage of clinical trials right now. We have to review the data and look at the situation before we can procure those vaccines.

“So procuring an amount two times our population would provide a safety net so that if one of the vaccines doesn’t work out, we would still have enough vaccines for the people in Hong Kong.”