The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, together with a number of Principal Officials, today (March 22) received the second dose of the Sinovac vaccine at the Central Government Offices. Mrs Lam appealed to the public to actively support the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme, noting that they should make reservations and get vaccinated early to protect themselves and others.
 
     Mrs Lam said, "Vaccination is the most effective measure to fight against the epidemic. I and a number of Secretaries of Departments and Directors of Bureaux took the lead to receive the first dose of the Sinovac vaccine last month, hoping to encourage members of the public to participate in the Programme through our action. Since the Programme was launched about a month ago, more than 350,000 people have already received their first dose of a vaccine. Among them, those who received their first dose of the Sinovac vaccine will start to receive their second dose this week.
 
     "The two vaccines that have been authorised for emergency use in Hong Kong, i.e. the Sinovac vaccine and the Comirnaty vaccine, require people to receive two doses of the same vaccine to build up the due protection. The public should receive the second dose of vaccine according to the appointment date; otherwise all previous efforts would be wasted.
 
     "Given the tight supply of vaccines worldwide, Hong Kong is lucky enough to be able to procure for all residents sufficient COVID-19 vaccines that are in compliance with the safety, efficacy and quality requirements. I hope members of the public would grasp the chance to make reservations and get vaccinated as soon as possible. The more and the earlier people get vaccinated, the faster Hong Kong can navigate through the epidemic and restore people's life to normal.
 
     "The Programme is premised on science and data, and the Government has been disseminating the latest information on vaccines as well as the professional advice given by medical experts about vaccination through various channels. The public can obtain accurate information about vaccines through official channels, and should not rashly believe unfounded rumours or false information."
 
     After the Chief Executive and the officials got vaccinated at the Central Government Offices, some members of the Executive Council and the Legislative Council also received their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine there.
 
     Members of the public can visit the thematic website, www.covidvaccine.gov.hk, to make reservations for vaccination and to learn more about COVID-19 vaccines.

        

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session after receiving her second COVID-19 vaccination dose today (March 22):

Reporter: Chief Executive, you just said that the Government is considering to choose the fourth type of the vaccines. Which vaccines are you considering, and do you have a timetable when it will arrive? And secondly, government experts say that there's currently no data to show whether the Sinovac vaccine is effective against any of the mutant variants. So are you worried that people who receive the vaccine may not develop enough protection against these variants? And what would you say to people who still have concerns about the Sinovac vaccine?
 
Chief Executive: First of all, at this moment the Hong Kong SAR Government, with the support of the experts, has authorised two different vaccines using two different technologies for members of the public to use. Because these vaccines are available at a lot of venues, members of the public actually have a choice. They could decide for themselves which vaccine to use. As far as the Government is concerned, both vaccines are authorised, which means that they are safe, they are of quality and they are effective. I don't really want to go into why a particular person would like to use a particular vaccine, because as far as the Government is concerned, both are safe.
 
     As far as the advance purchase of another, that is a fourth vaccine for use by the Hong Kong community, that is part of the plan that has been approved by the Legislative Council when we obtained funding for the Government Vaccination Programme. One is at that stage we did not know the effectiveness of each vaccine so for security we have to buy more for the safety of Hong Kong people. Secondly, up to this moment, nobody could be very authoritative about the validity of the effectiveness, that is how long the vaccine could protect the individual and the community, and that's why we need to go for four different vaccines, each with a volume of 7.5 million doses. At the moment I think Department of Health colleagues and the experts are still discussing about the fourth vaccine, so I'm not in a position to disclose the details. Actually, I don't know the details because this is a very professional matter. Since funding has been approved, it is now up to the experts both within and outside of the Government to decide on how to do it in light of the changing situation globally. I would suggest that members of the public should come forward to receive the vaccination and we will continue to supply the needed vaccines for the community.
 
     We are seeing variants of this COVID-19 virus from time to time. It started off in UK, it's now gone to Brazil, South Africa and other places, and so all these vaccines that have been made and manufactured over the period are all geared up to see how effective they are in tackling these new variants. The vaccine situation is evolving on a daily basis. The government experts will keep on monitoring the situation.
 
     As far as the confidence of the people, I think transparency and full disclosure will help to boost confidence, and the Hong Kong SAR Government will spare no effort in raising the transparency in providing as much data as possible to the people of Hong Kong. We are now doing this on a daily basis. At the same time, I would condemn a very small minority of people who try to sabotage our efforts by going the other way. They are spreading fake news, misinformation and rumours on the social media and also through other means. Especially when these people are health professionals, I am extremely disappointed, because at the end of the day if Hong Kong has a major outbreak again, the people who suffer will be our healthcare professionals, especially those working in the Hospital Authority facilities. I will appeal to all to look at this issue in a scientific, objective manner, and join the Government Vaccination Programme as soon as possible.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
 

      

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

     US Dollar Liquidity Facility tender notice:
 

Note: Licensed Banks interested in participating in the tender for the first time are encouraged to provide US dollar settlement instructions by email (settlementsection@hkma.gov.hk) to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's Settlement Team in advance, preferably two days prior to the tender. Required information includes name of corresponding bank, name of final beneficiary (must be the Licensed Bank participating in the tender), and account or CHIPS number of a US dollar bank account to be settled in the US. Such information needs to be provided once only, unless there is further change.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (March 22) closely monitoring an additional case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and again urged the public to pay special attention to safety during travel, taking due consideration of the health risks in the places they visit.
 
     According to the WHO, the case involved a 39-year-old male with good past health, who was an owner of a camel farm. Before the onset of symptoms, he had a history of close contact with camels.
 
     According to the WHO, the UAE has reported 92 MERS cases (including the patient reported above) since 2013, among which 12 patients had passed away.
 
     According to the latest information, 2 567 cases have been reported to the WHO (with 882 deaths), including 2 348 in 10 Middle East countries comprising 2 167 in Saudi Arabia, 92 in the United Arab Emirates, 28 in Jordan, 24 in Oman, 23 in Qatar, six in Iran, four in Kuwait, two in Lebanon, and one each in Yemen and Bahrain.
 
     "We will maintain close communications with the WHO and relevant health authorities," a spokesman for the CHP said.
 
     "As countries in the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, continue to report MERS cases from time to time, travellers should refrain from going to farms, barns or markets with camels and avoid contact with sick persons and animals, especially camels, birds or poultry. Most of the cases reported in the Middle East had a history of exposure to camels, consumption of camel milk or contact with other MERS patients," the spokesman said.
 
     "Scientific evidence shows that camels are reservoirs for MERS Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Camels infected with MERS-CoV may not show any signs of infection. Infected animals may shed MERS-CoV through nasal and eye discharge and faeces, and potentially in their milk and urine. The virus may also be found in the raw organs and meat of infected animals. Therefore, the best protection is to practise good hygiene and avoid direct contact with all of these," the spokesman added.
 
     From time to time, suspected MERS cases reported to the CHP for investigation involve patients with a history of contact with camels in the Middle East. The CHP strongly advises travel agents organising tours to the Middle East to abstain from arranging camel rides and activities involving direct contact with camels, which are known risk factors for acquiring MERS-CoV.
 
     Travellers to affected areas should maintain vigilance, adopt appropriate health precautions and take heed of personal, food and environmental hygiene. The public may visit the MERS page of the CHP and its Travel Health Service to learn more about MERS statistics in affected areas. The public should also refer to the CHP's Facebook page and YouTube channel and the WHO's latest news for more information and health advice. Tour leaders and tour guides operating overseas tours are advised to refer to the CHP's health advice on MERS.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Hang Seng Bank, Limited on fraudulent website, which has been reported to the HKMA. Hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website for ease of reference by members of the public.

     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information to the website concerned or has conducted any financial transactions through the website should contact the bank concerned using the contact information provided in the press release, and report to the Police or contact the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.