Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor (front row, center) poses for a photo with members of the Advisory Panel on COVID-19 Vaccines as the expert panel convenes its first meeting on Dec 30, 2020. (PHOTO/HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG - With the COVID-19 vaccine expected to arrive in Hong Kong in the first quarter of 2021, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor called on residents to actively take the COVID-19 vaccine.

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Lam wrote on Wednesday on her social media account that the government is preparing for the vaccination in a race against time.

Carrie Lam called on residents to look at the vaccination from a scientific perspective and actively consider taking the COVID-19 vaccine

Vaccination is the key for Hong Kong to overcome the pandemic, she said, vowing that the government will spare no efforts in addressing people's concerns about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

Lam called on residents to look at the vaccination from a scientific perspective and actively consider getting the vaccine.

Hong Kong has procured 22.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and the first batch is expected to arrive in Hong Kong in the first quarter of 2021. The government has said high-risk groups will be prioritized, including medical workers and elderly people.

An expert panel established recently for the vaccination convened its first meeting on Wednesday.

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Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection reported 54 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, taking its total tally to 8,778.