Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung today visited the private clinic COVID-19 vaccination stations in Causeway Bay and Sha Tin to observe the concurrent administration of Sinovac and BioNTech vaccines.

Fifteen private clinic COVID-19 vaccination stations commenced service today while the one at Pacific Plaza on Des Voeux Road West in Western District will begin operation on September 15.

The public can make reservations for vaccination services for free through the booking system of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.

Mrs Yeung stressed that the vaccination service at these stations is free of charge and administered by medical professionals, with procedures similar to those in the community vaccination centres.

Private clinics have provided only the Sinovac vaccine for patients.

She noted that before adding the BioNTech vaccine to these private clinics, a few private clinics had been testing their operations for providing the BioNTech vaccine as the jab requires a dilution process.

“After having tested this for a long period, we find that the operators of these clinics are accustomed to this process and are able to handle this process fairly safely.

“And we see that there is a demand in the community for BioNTech vaccination. Thus we have expanded the network of BioNTech vaccination in private clinics to these 16 private clinics that offer large-scale COVID-19 vaccination.”

Mrs Yeung pointed out that the 16 new stations are located at convenient venues.

She hoped that more people would take action to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses for self-protection and arrange vaccination for their children and elderly family members in order to protect the healthcare system and relieve the burden on medical professionals.

People aged six months or above may receive the Sinovac vaccine at the private clinic vaccination stations, while those aged 12 or above may also opt for the BioNTech vaccine.

People aged 60 or above may obtain same-day tickets directly at the stations without an appointment.