The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     Details of the meetings of the Legislative Council (LegCo) and its Committees to be held in the LegCo Complex during the week from March 15 to 19 are available in the meeting schedule attached.
 
     The information in the meeting schedule is subject to change. Please refer to the LegCo Calendar on the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hk) for the latest details of meetings.
 
     Members of the public can watch or listen to the meetings via the Webcast system on the LegCo Website. To observe the proceedings of the meetings at the LegCo Complex, members of the public may call 3919 3399 during office hours to reserve seats.

     Hong Kong Customs seized about 3 kilograms of suspected ketamine with an estimated market value of about $1.8 million at Hong Kong International Airport on March 9. One man was subsequently arrested today (March 12).

     Customs officers on March 9 examined an air postal packet originating from Belgium which was declared as containing wall clocks. The batch of suspected ketamine was found concealed inside six pieces of cardboard in three paper boxes containing wall clocks.

     Upon follow-up investigation, Customs officers today arrested a 19-year-old man in Sha Tin suspected to be in connection with the case.

     Investigation is ongoing.

     Customs reminds members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary returns. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people, nor to release their personal data or home address to others for receiving parcels or goods.

     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

  

     The Department of Health (DH) today (March 12) said that its Lam Tin Maternal and Child Health Centre (MCHC) learnt that a preliminary confirmed COVID-19 patient had earlier visited the MCHC. The MCHC will be closed for thorough cleaning and disinfection tomorrow (March 13). Staff will contact affected clients to reschedule their service appointments.
 
    ​The patient visited the Lam Tin MCHC on March 5, 8 and 10 and had a mask on throughout the visits. The DH's Centre for Health Protection has initiated an epidemiological investigation on the case and relevant contact tracing is ongoing.
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     In view of the current epidemic situation, MCHCs have stepped up infection control measures, including temperature screening before clinic entry and limiting the number of accompanying carers. At present, all MCHC staff members are wearing masks and face shields at work and practising hand hygiene at all times. The DH is highly concerned about the COVID-19 situation and has reminded all staff again to maintain personal hygiene and be vigilant at all times. If feeling unwell, they should seek medical attention immediately.

     The Department of Health (DH) today (March 12) issued a summary report on the safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccines in Hong Kong.
 
     The Department of Health has put in place a pharmacovigilance system for COVID-19 immunisations, including receiving reports of Adverse Events Following Immunisations (AEFIs) related to the COVID-19 vaccines used in Hong Kong from healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical industries.
 
     Since the commencement of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme, up to March 7 about 93,000 persons have received the first dose of vaccination. Within the same period, a total of 71 AEFI reports (0.076 per cent of all doses administered) were received by the DH. Most of these reports involved cases with presentation of mild events such as dizziness and palpitation. The summary report, including statistics of hospitalisations and information on important cases, is available at the thematic website for the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/vaccine). The DH will update  the summary report regularly.
 
     According to the World Health Organization (WHO), AEFI refers to any untoward medical occurrence which follows immunisation and which does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the usage of the vaccine. The Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment Following COVID-19 Immunisation conducts causality assessments on all important AEFIs based on the algorithm of the WHO when necessary information for the cases is available.

     The Immigration Department (ImmD) today (March 12) said the department was notified by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) this evening that a person who briefly visited the second floor of Immigration Tower in Wan Chai on March 9 has tested preliminary positive for COVID-19.

     The person concerned visited Immigration Tower to submit forms on the above date and briefly stayed there for less than five minutes. The ImmD carried out thorough cleaning and sterilisation in accordance with the CHP's advice.

     During the situation of COVID-19 infection, the department has been strictly implementing various disease prevention measures, including measuring the body temperature of and providing alcohol-based handrub to all persons before their entry into the building, providing employees with masks and other protective equipment, requiring employees to wear masks when performing duties, and stepping up the cleaning and sterilising measures for the working environment.

     The department will continue to maintain close liaison with the CHP and actively co-operate with the CHP's quarantine arrangements, and has also reminded its staff to pay attention to personal hygiene and stay vigilant. Staff have been reminded to seek medical advice and inform the department as soon as possible if feeling unwell.