A third booster Covid-19 vaccine will be made available from New Year’s Day for all adults in Hong Kong who received a second vaccine more than six months ago. The government is expanding the city’s vaccination scheme over concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant across the world.
HKFP Guide: Receiving a Covid-19 vaccine in Hong Kong
Hong Kong citizens will be able to register for a booster shot from 8.00 a.m. on January 1, 2022. People aged 18 or above, who received two shots of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine more than six months ago, will be eligible.
A government spokesperson said in a statement published on Friday that unvaccinated citizens should get a jab as soon as possible “under the threat of mutant strains.”
“Eligible citizens should receive a third dose of vaccine as soon as possible to enhance protection, in order to build up a protective barrier for the community,” the government spokesperson said.
Children aged between 12 and 17 will also become eligible to receive a second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech in the new year. Following medical expert advice, the government said on Friday that children in that age bracket will receive the shot in their thigh, and “clothing that can be easily removed” was recommended.
Previously, Covid-19 booster shots were only made available to vulnerable groups and people fully vaccinated with two shots of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine.
Sinovac has been proven to offer no protection against Omicron.
As of Friday, 4,847,397 people have received at least one shot of Covid-19 vaccine, of which 4,624,763 people were fully vaccinated with two shots, and 331,352 people took a third booster jab.
Since the beginning of the pandemic close to two years ago, Hong Kong has recorded 12,551 cases and 213 deaths.
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