The new COVID-19 Vaccination Stations set up in Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Tseung Kwan O Hospital, Caritas Medical Centre and Prince of Wales Hospital came into operation today (October 18) to enable patients visiting the hospitals for follow-up appointments and visitors to receive BioNTech vaccination without prior booking. Together with the vaccination stations in Queen Mary Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Tuen Mun Hospital, which commenced operation last month, there are seven vaccination stations serving members of the public.
Upon the opening of the new batch of COVID-19 Vaccinations Stations, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, visited the vaccination station in Tuen Mun Hospital this morning to learn about the operation and experience of the station over the past two weeks and to listen to views from people who received their vaccination there so as to better promote COVID-19 vaccination.
"The vaccination station in Tuen Mun Hospital is one of the stations that came into operation first. With the concerted efforts of the hospital, the medical team and the administrative staff, the vaccination station came into operation within a short period of time. This vaccination station is the most popular one in the first batch, with a peak of over 160 vaccine doses administered a day. As such, I would like to learn about their practical experience in person in order to better promote the services of the vaccination stations so that the services can meet the needs of the members of the public," he said.
"Today is the 12th working day of the first batch of vaccination stations since their opening on September 29. They have gone through the challenges related to the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal and tropical storms by making prompt responses within a short time under the co-ordination of the Central Command Centre at Central Government Offices.
"Given the threat posed by mutant strains, the vaccination rate for elderly persons should raise further. The Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs) and the vaccination stations at public hospitals are equally important under a multi-pronged approach to build a protective barrier in Hong Kong."
In addition, Mr Nip attended a vaccination event for elderly persons in Tuen Mun District at Wu Shan Road Community Hall this morning. The event was organised by various local organisations and participants could choose to receive the Sinovac vaccine from an outreach team on-site or take pre-arranged transport to receive the BioNTech vaccine at the CVC at Yau Oi Sports Centre.
"For people who are yet to receive vaccination, in particular elderly persons, please grasp the opportunity to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Experts recommend that elderly persons should receive COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible so long as they are not suffering from acute illnesses. All elderly persons who have previously received influenza vaccines can safely receive COVID-19 vaccines. Both COVID-19 vaccines available in Hong Kong are safe and highly effective in protecting against severe disease and death from COVID-19 infection," he added.
Members of the public can receive COVID-19 vaccination through various channels. All eligible persons can collect same-day tickets. They can get vaccinated without prior bookings at the CVCs. People may also make reservations and choose their preferred time slots for vaccination through the designated website of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk) to receive the Sinovac vaccine or the BioNTech vaccine, or they can receive the Sinovac vaccine through private doctors or clinics participating in the Programme.
In addition to the CVCs, the seven COVID-19 Vaccination Stations at public hospitals operate from 10am to 7pm on weekdays except public holidays, with no lunch break. Last vaccination is at 6.30pm.
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