The COVID-19 Vaccination Programme has been implemented for the 36th day since February 26, 2021.
 
     So far, about 531 200 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered for members of the public (please see Annex 1). Among them, about 471 400 persons have received their first dose, with about 320 100 persons receiving the Sinovac vaccine and about 151 300 persons receiving the BioNTech vaccine. About 59 800 persons have received their second dose of the Sinovac vaccine.
 
     In the last 24 hours ending at 8pm today (April 2), the following vaccination and booking figures were recorded:
 
(i) About 5 100 persons received their first dose of the Sinovac vaccine, including about 4 800 persons vaccinated at eight Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs) and about 300 persons at private doctors and clinics participating in the programme;
 
(ii) about 5 700 persons received their second dose of the Sinovac vaccine, including about 3 600 persons vaccinated at the CVCs and about 2 100 persons at private doctors and clinics;
 
(iii) the overall percentage of people who have received the Sinovac vaccine at the eight CVCs is about 95 per cent; and
 
(iv) about 2 800 persons have made online bookings for receiving their first and second doses of the Sinovac vaccine.
 
     In the last 24 hours ending at 0.00am today, there was one case of an ambulance transfer to a hospital. The person was discharged after treatment (please see Annex 2).
 
     As background information, in the last 24 hours ending at 0.00am today, there were 40 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.

     With arrangements of the Mainland Offices of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in Beijing, Guangdong, Shanghai, Chengdu and Wuhan, the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, today (April 2) chaired five virtual briefing sessions to introduce the background, principles and main contents of improving the electoral system of the HKSAR to hundreds of representatives of associations of Hong Kong residents in the Mainland, as well as Hong Kong people doing business, working and studying there. Mr Tsang also exchanged views with the participants on new electoral system and relevant arrangements.
 
     Mr Tsang said the implementation of the improved electoral system will plug the loopholes in and eliminate the deficiencies of the existing electoral system. He added that through constructing a political structure that reflects the actual situation of Hong Kong, fully conforms to the constitutional order under the "one country, two systems" principle and manifests Hong Kong characteristics can thereby ensure "patriots administering Hong Kong" and enhance the governance efficacies of the HKSAR Government, thus achieving good governance, developing the economy, improving people's livelihood and resolving various deep-seated problems with a view to ensuring the continued success of the "one country, two systems" and maintaining the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.
 
     The Hong Kong people living in the Mainland, who took part in the virtual briefing sessions, fully supported the current work of improving the electoral system and said that they hoped for the expeditious completion of such work to allow the Hong Kong society to relaunch and scale new heights. 
 
     The participants of the virtual briefing sessions also expressed concerns over the composition of the new subsector of the fourth Sector of the Election Committee under the new electoral system, namely, the "Representatives of associations of Hong Kong residents in the Mainland" subsector. Mr Tsang explained that relevant details are being worked out in an expeditious manner for submission to the Legislative Council's scrutiny. The composition of the subsector by corporate electors will be decided based on three criteria, the representation and relevance of the association among the community and its adherence to the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong".
 
     Mr Tsang had fruitful interactions and exchanges with the Hong Kong people in the Mainland during the virtual briefing sessions and answered their questions relating to the improvements of the electoral system. Having joined these sessions, the participants said that they gained a deeper understanding on the relevant electoral arrangements, as well as the thoughts and goodwill of the country and HKSAR. They will give their full support to the work of improving the electoral system.
 
     Mr Tsang appreciated that despite not being in Hong Kong, Hong Kong people who are living in the Mainland are very much connected to the city and hoped that they can make contributions to the country and Hong Kong.  The new "Representatives of associations of Hong Kong residents in the Mainland" subsector is therefore, added to the Election Committee under the new electoral system. Mr Tsang hoped that they will continue to support the work of improving the electoral system and contribute to the developments of the country and Hong Kong in the future.

            

     A spokesman for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (April 2) that a person with a confirmed case of coronavirus disease 2019 has visited Kowloon Park Sports Centre in Yau Tsim Mong District, and that the department has immediately arranged for a thorough cleaning and disinfection of the facilities. Kowloon Park Sports Centre will be temporarily closed at 8pm today and will reopen at 7am tomorrow (April 3).

     The shipment of about 300 000 doses of the Comirnaty vaccine manufactured by BioNTech, filled and finished at another plant in Germany, arrived in Hong Kong this afternoon (April 2) as arranged by Fosun Pharma. 

     Soon after the arrival of the latest batch of the Comirnaty vaccine in Hong Kong, staff carried out stringent checking and inspection of the vaccine in accordance with established procedures to ensure that it complies with the product specifications and that the transportation process follows the relevant cold-chain requirements. The Government would put the vaccine in validated ultra-low temperature freezers to ensure its proper storage in accordance with the temperature specified by the drug manufacturer.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     As at 9am today (April 2), 14 COVID-19 confirmed patients were discharged from hospital in the last 24 hours. So far, a total of 11 122 patients with confirmed or probable infection have been discharged.

     At present, there are 651 negative pressure rooms in public hospitals with 1 197 negative pressure beds activated. A total of 123 confirmed patients are currently hospitalised in 21 public hospitals and the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre, among which nine patients are in critical condition, three are in serious condition and the remaining 111 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.

     Details of the above-mentioned patients are as follows: