Covid-19 vaccination programme will open to 1.3 million more Hongkongers from Tue

Hong Kong’s city-wide vaccination drive will open to seven more priority groups from Tuesday onwards, Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip announced on Monday. It means the vaccination programme will be expanded to cover 1.3 million more Hongkongers.

The new priority groups include restaurant and catering staff and food delivery drivers, public transport drivers and personnel, registered construction workers, security and cleaning staff at markets, school teachers, frontline tourism workers and fitness centres and beauty parlours personnel.

covid-19 restaurant — Citizens sitting two by two as social distancing measure against the coronavirus in a restaurant in Hong Kong on August 23, 2020. Photo: May James/HKFP.

Individuals who fall under the seven new priority groups will be able to register for a vaccination slot at community centres and clinics across the city from 9am on Tuesday on the government’s website.

Around 3.7 million Hongkongers will now be eligible to receive a vaccination, Nip said.

There are currently eight community vaccination centres administering China’s Sinovac vaccines and seven centres administering the German-US BioNtech shots.

Meanwhile, 12 more community vaccination centres will begin administering the BioNtech vaccine from next Tuesday onwards.

He added that the capacity for vaccinations will be increased by 16,000 daily for the first and second doses of the vaccines.

The secretary said being vaccinated against Covid-19 was an “essential part of us resuming our daily lives.”

“We urge all priority groups to take this chance to protect themselves and their families,” he said.

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