Govt to provide more flu vaccines

October 22, 2020

The Government today announced that it will provide an additional 100,000 doses of seasonal influenza vaccines (SIV) to meet the public's keen demand for the vaccination.

 

Priority will be given to meet the demand from high-risk groups such that they are able to receive the SIV as soon as possible through various government vaccination programmes, it added.

 

The additional doses will first be allocated to doctors who have enrolled in the 2020-21 SIV School Outreach (Free of Charge) but are not able to procure sufficient vaccines for students.

     

Doctors who have enrolled in the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme are also on the priority recipient list, with priority given to doctors who have yet to be able to procure any quadrivalent influenza vaccines in the 2020-21 season.

    

Non-governmental organisations, private doctors and clinics enrolled in the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme coordinated by the Home Affairs Department are also on the priority list.

     

Private doctors receiving the SIV under the allocation arrangement must undertake not to charge extra fees when providing vaccinations to eligible people.

 

Doctors or clinics allocated the SIV must sign undertakings and submit documentation to prove that it has been allocated and utilised according to the relevant conditions.

     

The high-risk groups under the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme are Hong Kong residents aged 50 or above, children aged six months to under 12 years, pregnant women and people with intellectual disabilities.

 

Those who receive the Disability Allowance and recipients of the standard rate of “100% disabled” or “requiring constant attendance” under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme also belong to the high-risk groups.      

 

Meanwhile, the Department of Health has been in touch with the suppliers and noted that a new batch of influenza vaccines of around 85,000 doses would arrive in Hong Kong in mid to late November for supply to the local private healthcare sector.

     

Regarding media reports that Korea had recently reported deaths after receiving the vaccine, the Government said there is no SIV produced by Korean suppliers among those registered in Hong Kong and the department will closely monitor the situation.

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