Hong Kong’s leader and medical experts on Tuesday urged those responsible to stop spreading “malicious” rumors about the COVID-19 vaccines the government has procured, reminding the public to guard against rumors as strictly as they protect themselves against the virus.
Speaking ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor lashed out at rumors on social media that labeled as “politically motivated” the government’s procurement of mainland-produced vaccines.
Lam stressed the government’s vaccine procurements were based solely on scientific assessments from local medical professionals
Lam stressed the government’s vaccine procurements were based solely on scientific assessments from local medical professionals, taking into consideration the quantity and timing of supply, logistics, and storage methods.
As all pre-ordered vaccines are still undergoing clinical trials, Lam stressed that they would be made available to residents only after their safety and efficacy are guaranteed through certain procedures. The process includes the completion of Phase III clinical trials and approval by the local drug regulatory authority.
READ MORE: HK reports 98 new infections as coronavirus claims 3 more lives
She noted that it required more proactive action by the government as countries and regions around the world are rushing to buy vaccines under development.
Lam’s remarks came on the day the city registered 98 new COVID-19 infections — with 89 local transmissions. During the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which started in November, over 500 confirmed cases came from untraceable sources.
ALSO READ: CE warns fourth wave could well take a serious turn
Over the past weekend, the government announced it had an advance purchase agreement for 7.5 million doses from Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech, with its first batch of 1 million expected to arrive in Hong Kong as early as January 2021.
In addition, the government has agreed with Fosun Pharma that another 7.5 million shots of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine will be made available for Hong Kong. Jointly developed with German drug manufacturer BioNTech and produced in Europe, the first 1 million vaccines will be delivered as soon as the first quarter of next year.
Ho Pak-leung, a top microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong, told the RTHK news program Talkabout on Monday that it was “definitely good news” for Hong Kong if it could get vaccines next month at the earliest. The mainland institutions, which lead the world in the research and development of inactivated vaccines, are expected to announce the results of Phase III clinical trials within weeks, Ho said.
Members of the public should not “politicalize” the vaccination, but rather adopt a scientific attitude in considering whether to get vaccinated, he added.
Yuen Kwok-yung, chair professor of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Hong Kong, said he believes that the Department of Health will act as a gatekeeper for all the vaccines.
