Updated information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and vaccines

Updated information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and vaccines

1. COVID-19 Vaccination Programme opens to persons aged 16 or above

The Government announced that the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme will be expanded to cover persons aged 16 to 29. The minimum age for receiving the BioNTech vaccine is 16, and that for receiving the Sinovac vaccine is 18. Separately, the Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs) across the territory are expected to operate until the end of September. Persons in the above age group can make reservations starting from 9am on April 23 through the online booking system on the designated website of the Vaccination Programme for receiving vaccines at 29 CVCs and 18 general out-patient clinics of the Hospital Authority (HA). They can also make appointments for vaccinations with private doctors or clinics participating in the programme.

Moreover, taking into account the supply of the BioNTech vaccine, the vaccination rate and its limitations in storage, the CVCs administering the BioNTech vaccine are expected to operate until the end of September. People must make an appointment to receive the first dose of BioNTech vaccine by the end of August in order to complete the vaccination of two doses by the end of September for better protection from the vaccine.

For details, please refer to:

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/15/P2021041500565.htm

More information on COVID-19 vaccines:

www.covidvaccine.gov.hk

2. Ensure that the arrangement of the COVID-19 vaccination programme meets the requirements

System safeguard measures are in place in the existing online booking system and eHS(S) to ensure that the arrangement of the COVID-19 vaccination programme meets the requirements. The Department of Health (DH) will continue to communicate with participating doctors to ensure that vaccination services are provided in accordance with the guidelines. Enhancement to the system safeguard measures has also been made to support different scenarios of vaccine administration. Members of the public should report their medical and vaccination record accurately to healthcare professionals and adhere to recommendations and advice on COVID-19 vaccination given by them. The practice of mixed doses vaccination involves uncertainty and risk, and is still in the experimental stage, which should only be conducted under the supervision of healthcare professionals.

For details, please refer to:

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/18/P2021041800566.htm

3. Government invokes place-specific flight suspension mechanism & Enhancing the testing of persons returning to Hong Kong from overseas places

The Government implemented on April 14 the tightened flight-specific suspension mechanism, as well as the new place-specific flight suspension mechanism in parallel.

With confirmed cases involving the N501Y mutant strain detected for the first time in the community in Hong Kong, for prudence’s sake, the Government has applied the criteria of the newly implemented place-specific flight suspension mechanism retrospectively for 14 days on places where there had been imported cases confirmed by arrival tests that carried the N501Y mutant strain.

The place-specific suspension mechanism for India, Pakistan, and the Philippines will be effective for 14 days from midnight on April 20.  Relevant restrictions will include the prohibition of passenger flights from these places from landing in Hong Kong, as well as specifying these three places as Group A specified places under Cap. 599H to restrict any person who have stayed in these places for more than two hours on the day of boarding or 21 days before that day from boarding for Hong Kong.

At the same time, to enhance the testing of persons returning to Hong Kong from overseas places, the Government is issuing a compulsory testing notice for persons who returned to Hong Kong from extremely high-risk places specified under Cap. 599H (that is the current Group A specified places).  After completing the compulsory quarantine for 21 days as well as the testing on the 12th and 19th day during quarantine, these persons returning to Hong Kong will also need to self-monitor further for another seven days, and be subject to nucleic acid testing on the 26th day of their return to Hong Kong.

For details, please refer to:

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/18/P2021041800858.htm

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/18/P2021041800771.htm

Details on the grouping of specified places and their respective boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements can be found at:

www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/high-risk-places.html

We would like to solicit your support to disseminate the information to your colleagues, work associates and/or business partners so that they could adopt proper preventive measures. Thank you very much for your support.

 
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