Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations: Please broadcast the following special announcement immediately, and repeat it at frequent intervals when the Very Hot Weather Warning is in force:  … read more
Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible: The Hong Kong Observatory has issued the Very Hot Weather Warning. To prevent heat stroke, avoid pro… read more
The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, who chairs the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), visited the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR (CPG Office on National Security) and the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force this afternoon (July 14) to review with the leaders of the CPG Office on National Security and colleagues of the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force the effectiveness of the implementation of the National Security Law over the past year and look forward to the work ahead.
Mrs Lam expressed her gratitude to the CPG Office on National Security for its effective discharge of duty in accordance with the National Security Law under the leadership of Mr Zheng Yanxiong, including overseeing, guiding, coordinating with and providing support to the HKSAR in its work in safeguarding national security. “The National Security Law has turned chaos to order and restored stability in Hong Kong society. Over the past year, national security awareness has gradually increased in Hong Kong, to which the CPG Office on National Security has made significant contributions. I, on behalf of the HKSAR Government, express gratitude to the Central Authorities and the CPG Office on National Security,” she said.
Mrs Lam fully acknowledged the effective enforcement of the National Security Law by the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force over the past year, noting that they have been taking up the responsibility of safeguarding national security steadfastly. “Safeguarding national security is an honourable and vital duty. As the national security risks in the HKSAR have not been completely eradicated, all of us are required to continue to discharge our duty to safeguard national security with profound courage and full confidence,” Mrs Lam said.
The Advisory Panel on COVID-19 Vaccines (Advisory Panel) convened a meeting today (July 14) to conduct continuous benefit-risk analysis of the authorised COVID-19 vaccines. The meeting was chaired by convenor Professor Wallace Lau Chak-sing.
The Secretary for Food and Health authorised two COVID-19 vaccines, namely the Comirnaty vaccine and the Sinovac vaccine, in accordance with the Prevention and Control of Disease (Use of Vaccines) Regulation (Cap. 599K) (the Regulation) on January 25 and February 18 respectively. To comply with the conditions of authorisation, the authorisation applicants are required to submit the latest clinical data on the vaccines, safety update reports and quality certification documents, etc. for continuous review and monitoring.
At the meeting today, the Advisory Panel reviewed the continuous benefit-risk balance of the two authorised vaccines. After reviewing all the latest available clinical and safety data related to the Comirnaty and Sinovac vaccines, including safety reports submitted by the applicants, the Advisory Panel considered that there was no other new significant safety signal identified, though continuous monitoring was required. In summary, the Advisory Panel still considered that the benefits of the two vaccines outweighed the risks, and that there was no need to recommend changes regarding the use of the two vaccines. Furthermore, the Advisory Panel also examined the application regarding change of details of the Comirnaty vaccine for extension of shelf-life from five days to one month (i.e. 31 days) when being stored at a temperature ranged from 2 to 8 degrees Celsius after thawing, and recommended the approval of relevant application.
The Advisory Panel will submit the relevant views and recommendations to the Secretary for Food and Health for consideration. The information concerned will later be uploaded to the website of the Food and Health Bureau.
A Government spokesman said, “The Government welcomes the Advisory Panel’s recommendation to approve the extension of shelf-life of the Comirnaty vaccine when being stored at a temperature ranged from 2 to 8 degrees Celsius after thawing, and considered that the relevant arrangement can enable greater flexibility for the storage, logistics and supply of the Comirnaty vaccine. We will closely keep in view the demand for the Comirnaty vaccine by the public, the amount and timing of vaccine supply, the storage period after vaccine dilution and the operations of Community Vaccination Centres, etc., and holistically consider the arrangement for providing vaccination service of the Comirnaty vaccine in the future.”
“The Government will continue to ensure that the authorised vaccines satisfy the criteria of safety, efficacy and quality, and continue to disseminate to the public and relevant stakeholders the latest safety and scientific information on the relevant vaccines in a timely manner,” the spokesman supplemented. read more
The Government spokesman today (July 14) said the Consumption Voucher Scheme (the Scheme) has received enthusiastic response from the public since the registration started. As at 6pm, about 5 540 000 registrations have bee… read more