February 14, 2022
HONG KONG – The minimum age for receiving the Sinovac vaccine will be lowered to three from Feb 15, the Hong Kong government announced Sunday night.
The decision comes as the special administrative region battles a raging fifth wave of coronavirus infections fueled mainly by the Omicron variant, with the city logging 1,347 confirmed cases on Sunday while also registering more than 2,000 preliminarily positive cases.
The secretary for food and health earlier approved the eligibility of the Sinovac vaccine to cover individuals aged three and above following advices of the government advisory panel on COVID-19 vaccines and considering the risks posed by the pandemic to the local community, as well as the benefits of lowering the age limit for the vaccine to cover children aged three to 17 outweigh the risks, according to a government press release.
From 8 am on Tuesday, parents or guardians can make online reservations for children to receive the Sinovac jab at community vaccination centers or the Hospital Authority’s designated general outpatient clinics.
Children as young as 5 years old will be allowed to take BioNTech vaccine starting Feb 16
They should accompany their children when receiving vaccination and bring along the child’s original identity documents and a duly signed consent form, the release added.
The government reminded that an interval of 28 days is required for children to receive the first and second doses of the Sinovac vaccine, same as for adults.
Since Jan 21, the government made available Sinovac vaccine to children as young as 5 years old.
Children of the same age will be allowed to take BioNTech, the other vaccine available in the city, starting Feb 16. Currently, the BioNTech jab is available for children aged 12 and above.