Government announces latest arrangements for COVID-19 vaccination services and vaccination venues with effect from end of April
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The Government announced today (April 20) that further adjustment will be made to the COVID-19 vaccination service arrangements and vaccination venues starting from the end of this month to align with the updated COVID-19 vaccination arrangement in the new phase of resumption of normalcy, with a view to sustaining sufficient capacity to cater for public demand while ensuring the cost-effectiveness of the arrangements.
The vaccination arrangements for eligible individuals who opt for an additional vaccine booster, as well as Hong Kong residents aged 6 months or above and have never been infected with COVID-19 to receive the first three doses of vaccine will be adjusted as follows:
| Vaccination venues/existing arrangements | Arrangements upon adjustment | |
| Children Community Vaccination Centres | Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong and CUHK Medical Centre |
Starting from June 2, BioNTech vaccination service for children with online booking will be provided at their outpatient clinics instead |
| Hong Kong Children's Hospital | Continue to provide Sinovac and BioNTech vaccination services to children with online booking as per existing arrangement | |
| Yan Chai Hospital COVID-19 Vaccination Station (Children Community Vaccination Centre) | Service will be provided up to April 28 |
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| Community Vaccination Centres | Community Vaccination Stations at Lai Chi Kok Park, Wong Tai Sin Temple Square, Java Road Playground, and the open space outside Yuen Long Leisure and Cultural Building | Service will be provided up to May 15 |
| Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong and CUHK Medical Centre | Service will be provided up to May 31 | |
| Hospital Authority | Designated general outpatient clinics | COVID-19 vaccination service will be regularised. Members of the public may continue to book online for Sinovac and BioNTech vaccination |
| COVID-19 Vaccination Stations at 13 public hospitals | Starting from May 2, COVID-19 vaccination will be listed as a regular service at specialist outpatient clinics. Members of the public may receive COVID-19 vaccination (including Sinovac and BioNTech vaccines) at the time they attend medical appointments at the specialist outpatient clinics of the relevant public hospitals | |
| Department of Health | All Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) provide Sinovac vaccination service to children aged 6 months to 4 years when the children receive regular child health services Among which, designated MCHCs provide online booking arrangement for Sinovac vaccination service:
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All MCHCs will continue to provide walk-in Sinovac vaccination service to children aged 6 months to 4 years when the children receive regular child health services Starting from June 1, the number of designated MCHCs providing online booking arrangement for Sinovac vaccination service will increase to seven. They include:
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Five designated MCHCs provide BioNTech (toddler formulation) vaccination service to children aged 6 months to 4 years with online booking:
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Starting from June 1, the number of designated MCHCs providing online booking arrangement for BioNTech (toddler formulation) vaccination will increase to seven. They include:
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Five designated Student Health Service Centres (SHSCs) provide Sinovac vaccination service to children and adolescents aged 3 to 17 years with online booking, and BioNTech (paediatric formulation) vaccination service to children aged 5 to 11 years with online booking:
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Existing service arrangements remain unchanged. Five designated SHSCs will continue to provide Sinovac vaccination service to children and adolescents aged 3 to 17 years with online booking, and BioNTech (paediatric formulation) vaccination service to children aged 5 to 11 years with online booking |
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14 Elderly Health Centres (EHCs) provide walk-in Sinovac vaccination service to persons aged 65 or above:
Kowloon City EHC, San Po Kong EHC, Yau Ma Tei EHC, and Tai Po EHC only provide walk-in Sinovac vaccination service for their members |
Existing service arrangements remain unchanged | |
| Chest Clinics, Social Hygiene Clinics, Dermatological Clinics, Education and Training Centres in Family Medicine and Integrated Treatment Centres provide Sinovac vaccination service to their patients | The relevant clinics and centres will continue to provide Sinovac vaccination service to their patients. The vaccination service is not open for public booking | |
Private Clinic COVID-19 Vaccination Stations |
19 private clinics provide Sinovac vaccination service to persons aged 6 months or above as well as BioNTech vaccination service to persons aged 12 or above | Existing service arrangements remain unchanged. COVID-19 vaccination services will continue (online pre-booked and walk-in services) For the list of Private Clinic COVID-19 Vaccination Stations, click here |
| Private clinics | Over 2 500 private clinics provide Sinovac vaccination service to persons aged 6 months or above as well as BioNTech vaccination service to persons aged 12 or above | Existing service arrangements remain unchanged. COVID-19 vaccination services will continue For the list of private doctors and clinics providing Sinovac vaccine, click here For the list of private doctors and clinics providing BioNTech vaccine, click here |
The latest information on vaccination services and vaccination venues is available on the designated website for the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme. The online booking website of the Government COVID-19 Vaccination Programme will also continue to operate for members of the public to make appointments for COVID-19 vaccination. Moreover, the Government will closely monitor the demand for vaccination services and enhance the vaccination capacity of private clinics when necessary.
Three types of COVID-19 vaccines (BioNTech ancestral strain vaccine (30 micrograms/dose), BioNTech bivalent vaccine and Sinovac vaccine) provided under the Government COVID-19 vaccination programme have already been registered as pharmaceutical products in Hong Kong in accordance with the registration regime for standard drug items under the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations (Cap. 138A). The Government plans to cease the Indemnity Fund for Adverse Events Following Immunization with COVID-19 Vaccines (AEFI Fund) alongside the cancellation of emergency use regime. The Government is closely monitoring the progress of COVID-19 vaccines registration under Cap. 138A and available data on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines to determine the timetable for ending the AEFI Fund.
A Government spokesman said, "Increases have been observed recently in the newly recorded positive nucleic acid test laboratory detections for COVID-19, as well as per capita viral load in relation to COVID-19 from sewage surveillance, while the number of severe illness cases and death cases of COVID-19 remains relatively stable. We will continue to monitor closely the situation of COVID-19 variants and assess the relevant risks, with our protection focus remained on the high risk groups. We will also keep track of the latest assessment of the World Health Organization on the epidemic situation. The Government appeals to members of the public, high-risk individuals in particular, to receive the first three doses of COVID-19 vaccine and get an additional vaccine booster in a timely manner in accordance with the latest recommendation made by the experts."
In addition, the spokesman reminded that the immunity against influenza in the local community as a whole may be relatively weaker than in the past given the local seasonal influenza activity has been staying at low levels over the past three years. The latest surveillance data from Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) indicated that seasonal influenza activity is on a rising trend. The admission rate to public hospitals with a principal diagnosis of influenza has been rising from 0.01 case per 10 000 population in the first week of March to 0.45 case per 10 000 population in the week ending April 8. Hong Kong has entered the influenza season and members of the public should not let their guard down. In particular, the seasonal influenza vaccination coverage rate for toddlers aged 6 months to below 2 years is only around 8 per cent as of April 10. The Government called on parents to arrange vaccination for their children without delay in a bid to reduce the risk of infected children falling seriously ill.
The online booking website of the Government COVID-19 Vaccination Programme allows eligible persons to make appointments for co-administration of COVID-19 vaccine and seasonal influenza vaccine. Multiple vaccination venues (including designated facilities under the Hospital Authority and the DH, as well as Private Clinic COVID-19 Vaccination Stations) are providing co-administration of COVID-19 vaccine and seasonal influenza vaccine to eligible persons, including the elderly and children. Details are available at www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/106096.html. The Government urged members of the public who have yet to receive suitable doses of COVID-19 vaccine to get vaccinated as soon as possible, and receive seasonal influenza vaccine at the same time for better protection to themselves and their family.
Ends/Thursday, April 20, 2023
Issued at HKT 18:49
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