Hong Kong residents queue outside the inoculation center at the Kowloon Bay Sports Centre to get COVID-19 vaccine shots on Feb 26, 2021. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - The death of a chronically ill Hong Kong man had no direct link to his coronavirus vaccination two days earlier, an expert panel said on Wednesday after reviewing preliminary postmortem results.

“The most probable cause is that the patient had a severe coronary artery disease, leading to an acute heart infarction and pulmonary edema, and he eventually died of a respiratory failure,” said Ivan Hung Fan-ngai, a top infectious disease expert at the University of Hong Kong.

The 63-year-old man, a heavy smoker who had diabetes, chronic bronchitis and high blood pressure, received a Sinovac shot on Friday at the inoculation center inside Kwun Chung Sports Centre in Jordan.

The most probable cause is that the patient had a severe coronary artery disease, leading to an acute heart infarction and pulmonary edema, and he eventually died of a respiratory failure.

Ivan Hung Fan-ngai,  infectious disease expert at the University of Hong Kong

Around 1:30 am on Sunday, the man went alone to Queen Elizabeth Hospital because of shortness of breath. His condition rapidly deteriorated and he died less than five hours later.

“The expert committee will wait for a comprehensive postmortem report to conclude the cause of the patient’s death and then brief the public again,” said Hung, who is also a co-convener of the Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment Following COVID-19 Immunisation.

Hung suggested that residents with severe chronic illnesses consult their family doctors before getting inoculated.

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As of Wednesday, around 51,800 Hong Kong residents had received their first dose of the Chinese-mainland-made Sinovac vaccine. Several reportedly felt uncomfortable after the vaccination, but none of their conditions could be associated with the inoculation.

Hung said there is no need to stop the vaccination program, while the elderly and other vulnerable groups are still encouraged to get injections. Most of the Sinovac vaccination slots before March 28 were booked as of Wednesday.

The experts’ assurance came too late in the day for some residents. At the Kwun Chung Sports Centre where 1,100 shots were booked on Wednesday, 200 people canceled their reservations and at least one-third did not show up early Wednesday morning, according to the center’s medical director, Samuel Kwok Po-yin.

Kwok said another 10 people declined inoculations in the morning after suggestions from medical workers at the venue.

READ MORE: 6,000 in Hong Kong vaccinated on 'smooth' first day

Hong Kong reported 14 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, all locally transmitted, eight of which were untraceable, bringing the city’s tally to 11,046.

Online reservations for Fosun-BioNTech jabs also opened on Wednesday. More than 140,000 shots will be available from March 10-30 at seven community inoculation centers.

Contact the writer at jefferygu@chinadailyhk.com