The Department of Health announced today that private doctors participating in Seasonal Influenza Vaccination (SIV) Programmes will provide free or subsidised influenza vaccinations for eligible people starting September 22.

In view of the continued increase in influenza activity, the department's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) announced that the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme under the 2025-26 SIV Programmes will be advanced to commence three days earlier, ie on September 22.

As a result, eligible high-risk groups can visit private doctors participating in the scheme and receive a free or subsidised jab.

Other public vaccination venues, including the department's Maternal & Child Health Centres, District Health Centres and District Health Centre Expresses, and their service outlets; the Hospital Authority’s general outpatient clinics and public hospitals; as well as SIV School Outreach Programme and the Residential Care Home Vaccination Programme, will remain to provide SIV starting from September 25.

Pointing out that Hong Kong has entered the summer influenza season, CHP Controller Dr Edwin Tsui said: “The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for seasonal influenza viruses during the past week (September 7 to 13) was 8.31%, higher than the 6.97% recorded during the preceding week.

“The influenza admission rate in public hospitals is 0.44 cases per 10,000 population, higher than the 0.42 cases recorded during the preceding week.”

He added that outbreaks of influenza-like illness in schools and residential care homes have significantly increased in the past two weeks.

As of yesterday, there have been 131 influenza-like illness outbreaks involving schools since the start of the school year. There were seven cases of severe paediatric influenza A infection recorded in the same period, three of whom were unvaccinated in the previous season.

“We appeal to your support on SIV. Get vaccinated once a year and sooner is better than later,” Dr Tsui stressed.