Mainland vaccine support requested

January 26, 2021

Chief Executive Carrie Lam:

We have been very concerned about the supply of vaccines for Hong Kong people.

Over many months, we have worked out advance purchase agreements with three manufacturers. Actually, we are still discussing (with) a fourth in order to have at least one vaccine per technology (platform).

For the one that has been authorised by the Secretary for Food & Health, that is the Fosun Pharma/BioNTech (vaccine), that is now legal for use in Hong Kong, but the supply will only come at the end of February from Germany. And the second is the Sinovac (vaccine). Again, it has to be authorised and again, the supply has been delayed. And the third is AstraZeneca (vaccine), which has always been a later supplier, towards the second part of the year.

When I was in Beijing last November, (I understood that) if there is a need in Hong Kong, then the Chief Executive could always approach the Central People's Government for help in trying to secure a certain proportion of Mainland-developed or Mainland-produced vaccines to come to Hong Kong, and that's exactly what I have done. I'm sorry I could not disclose further details because that would be pre-empting considerations and decisions by the Central People's Government.

(In) tackling COVID-19, they have always been very supportive, whether in providing us with face masks when they were still short, helping us to take back Hong Kong people from Wuhan, from all over the world, and building this wonderful interim hospital for us, renovating the AsiaWorld-Expo into isolation facilities and also helping us to do a Universal Community Testing Programme last September. So, I hope and I would continue to appeal to the central government to give us support on the issue of vaccine supply.

(To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Chief Executive Carrie Lam today said she has appealed to the central government for support on Hong Kong's COVID-19 vaccine supply.

Mrs Lam told reporters ahead of this morning's Executive Council meeting that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been very concerned about the supply of vaccines for Hong Kong people.

Noting that the Hong Kong SAR Government has worked out advance purchase agreements with three vaccine manufacturers, Mrs Lam said it is in talks with a fourth manufacturer to ensure that there is at least one vaccine per technology platform.

She said: "For the one that has been authorised by the Secretary for Food & Health, that is the Fosun Pharma/BioNTech vaccine, that is now legal for use in Hong Kong, but the supply will only come at the end of February from Germany.

"The second is the Sinovac vaccine. Again, it has to be authorised and again, the supply has been delayed. And the third is AstraZeneca vaccine, which has always been a later supplier, towards the second part of the year."

Mrs Lam said she has also asked for support from the central government.

"When I was in Beijing last November, I understood that if there is a need in Hong Kong, then the Chief Executive could always approach the Central People's Government for help in trying to secure a certain proportion of Mainland-developed or Mainland-produced vaccines to come to Hong Kong, and that's exactly what I have done.

"In tackling COVID-19, they have always been very supportive, whether in providing us with face masks when they were still short, helping us to take back Hong Kong people from Wuhan, from all over the world, and building this wonderful interim hospital for us, renovating the AsiaWorld-Expo into isolation facilities and also helping us to do a Universal Community Testing Programme last September."