Hong Kong’s take-up rate for Covid-19 vaccination bookings has dropped from 90 per cent at launch to 72 per cent this week, a decline the government has linked to public concerns over a series of medical incidents involving Sinovac jab recipients. Separately, an overnight community lockdown did not uncover any infections following the testing of about 500 people. The lockdown order for Tsim Sha Tsui Mansion was lifted at 7am. It was the second time in a month that all residents of the building in Tsim Sha Tsui were ordered to undergo Covid-19 screening. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. Civil service chief Patrick Nip Tak-kuen told a radio programme on Tuesday that the decline to 72 per cent in the proportion of people attending their appointments a day earlier reflected public concern about the vaccines, following reports of serious incidents and deaths among people who had received the Sinovac jabs. A third death revealed on Monday sparked new concerns about the vaccines because the 71-year-old patient had no public record of chronic illnesses, unlike the two previous fatalities. An expert committee monitoring the side effects of vaccines in Hong Kong will assess a detailed autopsy report before deciding if his death was linked to the vaccine. The panel earlier concluded there were no direct links between the vaccines and the deaths of two people with chronic illnesses. Nip reiterated that the government took every incident involving recipients of the vaccine very seriously, adding the expert committee would assess each case to ascertain any causation links between the vaccine and their condition. On Monday, 9,900 people received China’s Sinovac vaccine. A total of 103,800 people have been inoculated with either the Sinovac or BioNTech vaccines since the drive launched in late February. Initially, those aged 60 or above were prioritised to get immunised in the city’s vaccination programme. Health care workers, residents and staff of care homes, public service workers and cross-boundary transport workers were also among the first to be offered the vaccine. Asked why Hong Kong started vaccinating people aged above 60 when mainland China had not yet recommended the use of the Sinovac vaccine for that age group, Nip said the city’s advisory panel on Covid-19 vaccines had, after careful assessment, determined the benefits of getting the elderly population inoculated outweighed the risks. “In the past, especially during the third wave of case surges [in July], infections and deaths among the elderly age groups were high,” Nip said. The government on Monday announced it was expanding the vaccination campaign to include seven more eligible groups, covering a further 1.3 million people and taking the total number eligible in the city to be vaccinated to about 3.7 million. Starting on Tuesday morning, people in the new categories can book slots online to receive either the Sinovac or BioNTech vaccines. Covid-19 jabs experts await autopsy report on Hong Kong man’s death A broad range of sectors are included in the widening of the scheme, such as the catering, construction, education, tourism, public transport, and property management industries. The vaccination drive would also now cover people working in businesses that were affected by social-distancing restrictions, such as gyms and beauty parlours. Federation of Beauty Industry chairman Nelson Yip Siu-hong told a different radio station that opinion was split in the industry about getting vaccinated. He noted some beauty industry workers were adopting a wait-and-see approach in the vaccine roll-out before deciding whether to get the shots. President of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union, Fung Wai-wah, said he hoped education authorities would not mandate teachers to get vaccinated, leaving the decision to individuals. Last month, the education sector demanded authorities drop a plan tying the resumption of face-to-face classes with their willingness to get regular Covid-19 tests. Hong Kong added nine new coronavirus cases to its confirmed tally on Monday, taking the city’s infection total to 11,099, with 202 related deaths.More from South China Morning Post:Coronavirus: experts say detailed autopsy report needed before deciding whether death of elderly Hong Kong man linked to vaccineCoronavirus: Seven people felt ill after receiving Sinovac jabs, health authorities reveal, as city logs 16 new casesThis article Coronavirus: Hong Kong take-up for vaccination bookings falls after medical incidents involving Sinovac jab recipients first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
River cleanup day is approaching and this boy is invited. This article, Boy who threw books into river wanted by environment ministry (Video), originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company.
At just 29 years old, Cassandra has bought her first Chanel handbag, her first continental car and of course, her first private property. Read her inspiring story here.
President Joe Biden has sent his two dogs back to his family home in Wilmington, Delaware, after the younger of the two German Shepherds was involved in a "biting incident" with a White House security agent, US media said Monday.
A 43-year-old man who raped his late girlfriend's daughter after giving her an alcoholic drink was on Monday (8 March) jailed for 13 years along with 12 strokes of the cane.
As the COVID-19 vaccines are distributed around the world, these three companies may see a jump in their financial performance. The post These 3 Companies May See a Strong Recovery in 2021 appeared first on The Smart Investor.
After years of not doing much to foster the uptake of electric cars, Singapore has started to embrace them.
In celebration of International Women's Day today (3 March), here are some of the most iconic female characters in esports video games.
Singapore Airlines will begin trialling a coronavirus digital travel pass developed by aviation's industry body next week, the carrier said Monday, the first airline to pilot the scheme as the pandemic-hit sector seeks to recover.
A man was arrested in Turkey on Sunday after a video on social media purportedly showing him beating his ex-wife on a street sparked outrage, state media reported.
MacKenzie Scott, philanthropist, author and former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has married a Seattle science teacher who expressed gratitude “for the exceptional privilege it will be to partner in giving away assets with the potential to do so much good when shared." Dan Jewett, who made the announcement in a letter to the website of the nonprofit organization the Giving Pledge on Saturday, said he never imagined he would be in a position to talk about giving away significant wealth during his lifetime in order to make a difference in other people's lives. Jewett has been a teacher for decades and most recently taught chemistry at the private Lakeside School, where Scott's children attended.
They will receive their doses earlier, while essential personnel such as postmen and news reporters will also get it.
Rhonda Wong and her sister, Race, who started Ohmyhome in 2016, aim to grow the business in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.
The head of the management board at the EU's medicines regulator warned late Sunday against emergency national authorisations of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, comparing the idea to "Russian roulette".
Make this make scent. This article, Muslim evangelist accused of rape sings about arrest as part of perfume campaign, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company.
Take a deep dive into the August 2021 Kallang/Whampoa BTO project, which will consist of 300 units of 3-room and 4-room flats.
Queen Elizabeth II highlighted the importance of staying in touch with friends and families during the coronavirus pandemic in a message broadcast on Sunday. Britain's monarch also touched on the role of technology in keeping people connected amid the global pandemic, in her royal address before Commonwealth Day on Monday. “The testing times experienced by so many have led to a deeper appreciation of the mutual support and spiritual sustenance we enjoy by being connected to others," the queen said in her audio message.
Asian shares were mixed Tuesday, cheered by the imminent passage of the U.S. stimulus package, although that optimism was tempered by worries about inflation and the coronavirus pandemic. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.2% to 28,800.81 in morning trading. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.3% to 28,918.99, while the Shanghai Composite slipped 0.6% to 3,402.61.
Ten years into Syria's war, a large patch of territory in the country's northwest controlled by jihadists and allied rebels is still holding out against the Damascus regime.
The series is dedicated to inspirational men and women in Singapore leading healthy and active lifestyles. This week: actor Xavier Ong.
