The COVID-19 Vaccination Programme has been implemented for the 73rd day since February 26, 2021.
 
     So far, about 1 741 700 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered for members of the public (please see Annex 1). Among them, about 1 071 500 persons have received their first dose, with about 477 000 persons receiving the Sinovac vaccine and about 594 500 persons receiving the BioNTech vaccine. About 670 200 persons have received their second dose, with about 341 500 persons receiving the Sinovac vaccine and about 328 700 persons receiving the BioNTech vaccine.
 
     In the last 24 hours ending at 8pm today (May 9), about 37 200 persons have received vaccination and about 8 900 new vaccination bookings have been made online, detailed as follows:
 
(i) About 3 800 persons received their first dose of the Sinovac vaccine, including about 3 300 persons vaccinated at Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs) and about 400 persons at private doctors and clinics participating in the programme;
 
(ii) about 3 300 persons received their second dose of the Sinovac vaccine, including about 3 000 persons vaccinated at CVCs and about 300 persons at private doctors and clinics;
 
(iii) about 12 100 persons received their first dose of the BioNTech vaccine at CVCs, and about 18 000 persons received their second dose of the BioNTech vaccine;
 
(iv) the overall percentage of people who have received the Sinovac vaccine at CVCs is about 94 per cent; while the overall percentage of people who have received the BioNTech vaccine at CVCs is about 96 per cent; and
 
(v) about 2 100 persons have made online bookings for receiving their first and second doses of the Sinovac vaccine, while about 6 800 persons have made online bookings for receiving their first and second doses of the BioNTech vaccine.
 
     In the last 24 hours ending at 0.00am today, there were 13 cases of ambulance transfers to hospitals. Among them, 10 persons were discharged, two persons were admitted for observation and one person was discharged against medical advice (please see Annex 2).
 
     As background information, in the last 24 hours ending at 0.00am today, there were 33 cases of stroke or myocardial infarction that required admission to the Intensive Care Unit, Acute Stroke Unit and Cardiac Care Unit of public hospitals. The state of new cases admitted to the wards concerned is provided as a cross reference to enhance fuller public understanding of cases of the kind recorded on vaccine recipients.

     The Government is highly concerned about the local COVID-19 cases involving mutant strain that appeared earlier and strongly appeals to all sectors today (May 9) including foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) and bar trade to fight the virus together. Following the inter-departmental joint operation last week, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) conducted joint operations with several Government departments this weekend again at popular places in different districts where FDHs commonly gathered, and visited bars with the police on Friday and Saturday to carry out publicity and educational work.

     The FEHD, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Police Force, the Labour Department, relevant District Offices and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, conducted joint operations in the past two days (May 8 to May 9) at the public places near popular FDH gathering places during weekends and public holidays, such as Tamar Park, Chater Road and Garden Road in Central, Victoria Park and Sugar Street in Wan Chai, the pedestrian footbridge at Mong Kok Road, and Lo Tak Court in Tsuen Wan. Apart from arranging cleansing contractors to strengthen the street cleaning services at the relevant spots, the FEHD also stepped up patrols to combat unlicensed hawking activities. During the operation, promotional leaflets in multiple-language were also distributed by the FEHD to appeal to FDHs to maintain environmental hygiene and refrain from conducting unlicensed hawking activities. FDHs were also reminded by other government departments to comply with the regulations on mask-wearing and prohibition of group gatherings in public places.　

     In addition, the FEHD and the Police also conducted joint operation from May 7 to May 8 to visit bar areas in Prince Edward, Soho and Wan Chai to carry out publicity and educational work. The two departments learnt from the bars how their business was going after their reopening, and conducted publicity and educational work on "vaccine bubble" to facilitate the operators to understand and adapt to the new regulation and measures.

     To minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission, the spokesman strongly appealed to all to stay vigilant and comply with the relevant regulations on prevention and control of disease in a concerted and persistent manner. The spokesman also reminded the operators and members of the public to exercise self-discipline and co-operate to fight the virus together.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     In relation to a news report today about some people claiming to help unemployed persons make applications for the 100% Personal Loan Guarantee Scheme (PLGS) using false instruments at a handling fee, the HKMC Insurance Limited (HKMCI) made the following statements to protect the interest of the applicants:
 

1. When banks review loan applications under the PLGS, they will exercise professional expertise, judgement and care in conducting customer due diligence and verifying the eligibility of the borrowers. The HKMCI will also conduct appropriate checks and strive to ensure that the approved applications meet the requirements. If the banks and the HKMCI discover any suspected illicit behaviour (e.g. producing false declaration or using false instrument), they will report to the law enforcement agencies for assistance.
    
2. We appeal to the public to pay attention that the participating banks will try their best to provide assistance to the applicants without levying any application fee or handling fee. The banks will remind the applicants that they need not make applications via a third party. If the borrowers pay any so-called fees to a third party during applications, they will suffer a direct financial loss. 
    
3. For enquiries, please contact the participating banks. A list of the banks and their enquiry hotlines is on the PLGS dedicated webpage (www.hkmc.com.hk/eng/our_business/plgs.html). The public may also call the PLGS hotline at 2536 0392.
    
4. The overall default rate of the PLGS is assumed to be 25%. As the HKMCI had no experience in providing 100% loan guarantee for unemployed persons, and considering that no credit assessment is required under the PLGS and the applicants are unemployed, the same assumption as for the Special 100% Loan Guarantee for small and medium enterprises is adopted.  Notwithstanding this, the actual default rate will depend on various factors, such as whether the economic environment will improve. Taking the 80% Guarantee Product under the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme as an example, although the overall assumed default rate is 12%, the actual cumulative default rate of the product is 3.8% since its launch in 2012.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     As at 9am today (May 9), seven COVID-19 confirmed patients were discharged from hospital in the last 24 hours. So far, a total of 11 493 patients with confirmed or probable infection have been discharged.

     At present, there are 616 negative pressure rooms in public hospitals with 1 155 negative pressure beds activated. A total of 73 confirmed patients are currently hospitalised in 15 public hospitals and the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre, among which three patients are in critical condition, two are in serious condition and the remaining 68 patients are in stable condition.

     The Hospital Authority will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.

     The case numbers of the discharged, critical and serious patients are as follows:
 

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) announced that as of 0.00am, May 9, the CHP was investigating one additional confirmed case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), taking the number of cases to 11 808 in Hong Kong so far (comprising 11 807 confirmed cases and one probable case).

     The newly reported case is an imported case.
 
     A total of 76 cases have been reported in the past 14 days (April 25 to May 8), including 13 local cases of which one is from unknown sources.
 
     The CHP's epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing on the confirmed cases are ongoing. For case details and contact tracing information, please see the Annex or the list of buildings with confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 14 days and the latest local situation of COVID-19 available on the website "COVID-19 Thematic Website" (www.coronavirus.gov.hk).

     Meanwhile, the CHP reminded those who had visited specified venues under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) to receive COVID-19 nucleic acid testing according to the compulsory testing notice. The Regulation also requires all household members of close contacts of confirmed cases to undergo a COVID-19 nucleic acid test within a specified period according to compulsory testing notices published in the Gazette. The public are also urged to seek medical attention early if symptoms develop and undergo testing as soon as possible.
 
     The Government has launched the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme. Members of the public are encouraged to get vaccinated. Details of the programme can be found at the designated website (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk).
 
     The CHP called on members of the public to avoid going out, having social contact and dining out. They should put on a surgical mask and maintain stringent hand hygiene when they need to go out. The CHP strongly urged the elderly to stay home as far as possible and avoid going out. They should consider asking their family and friends to help with everyday tasks such as shopping for basic necessities.

     The spokesman said, "Given that the situation of COVID-19 infection remains severe and that there is a continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong.

     "The CHP also strongly urges the public to maintain at all times strict personal and environmental hygiene, which is key to personal protection against infection and prevention of the spread of the disease in the community. On a personal level, members of the public should wear a surgical mask when having respiratory symptoms, taking public transport or staying in crowded places. They should also perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes.

     "As for household environmental hygiene, members of the public are advised to maintain drainage pipes properly and regularly pour water into drain outlets (U-traps). After using the toilet, they should put the toilet lid down before flushing to avoid spreading germs."
 
     Moreover, the Government has launched the website "COVID-19 Thematic Website" (www.coronavirus.gov.hk) for announcing the latest updates on various news on COVID-19 infection and health advice to help the public understand the latest updates. Members of the public may also gain access to information via the COVID-19 WhatsApp Helpline launched by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer. Simply by saving 9617 1823 in their phone contacts or clicking the link wa.me/85296171823?text=hi, they will be able to obtain information on COVID-19 as well as the "StayHomeSafe" mobile app and wristband via WhatsApp.

     To prevent pneumonia and respiratory tract infections, members of the public should always maintain good personal and environmental hygiene. They are advised to:
 
• Wear a surgical mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. It is important to wear a mask properly, including performing hand hygiene before wearing and after removing a mask;
• Perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes, after touching public installations such as handrails or doorknobs, or when hands are contaminated by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing;
• Maintain drainage pipes properly and regularly (about once a week) pour about half a litre of water into each drain outlet (U-trap) to ensure environmental hygiene;
• After using the toilet, put the toilet lid down before flushing to avoid spreading germs;
• Wash hands with liquid soap and water, and rub for at least 20 seconds. Then rinse with water and dry with a disposable paper towel. If hand washing facilities are not available, or when hands are not visibly soiled, performing hand hygiene with 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based handrub is an effective alternative;
• Cover your mouth and nose with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of soiled tissues into a lidded rubbish bin, then wash hands thoroughly; and
• When having respiratory symptoms, wear a surgical mask, refrain from work or attending class at school, avoid going to crowded places and seek medical advice promptly.