When Hong Kong CEO Carrie Lam rolled up her shirt sleeve to receive the first Covid-19 vaccination from the Asian financial center last month, she gave a sound support to the photos produced by the Chinese mainland company. Sinovac Biotech Ltd.
“Today we take the Sinovac vaccine, which was developed and manufactured on the mainland, because it is the first vaccine to reach Hong Kong,” Lam she said on Feb. 22 as she was inoculated into a public ceremony with her top aides.
Since then, confidence in both Sinovac and her government’s vaccination drive has waned. Seven deaths and dozens of side effects have been reported following the first 160,000 doses of gunfire, and residents have begun to register. crowds for the vaccine made by BioNTech SE and Pfizer Inc. – the only other available.
Carrie Lam receives a dose of Sinovac Biotech Ltd. Covid-19 vaccine on February 22nd.
Photographer: Lam Yik / Bloomberg
While official investigations found no link between deaths and Sinovac, and one death was reported after a resident received the BioNTech vaccine, hysteria was in addition to growing public distrust of Hong Kong authorities in the past two years. years, in Beijing moved to restrict free speech and shut down democracy’s advocates. Even before the last crisis, only 37% of adults in the city said they would get a Covid-19 vaccine, according to a survey from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Lam and other officials are now advocating with the public to get vaccines before they expire, while extending eligibility to healthy adults. decrepit 30 to 59. The low vaccination rate targeting Singapore threatens to delay the reopening of Hong Kong compared to other major cities, affecting an economy already hit by the double whammy of the 2019 pandemic and pro-democracy protests.
“Negative impression”
“Recent Sinovac-related deaths have made a negative impression on vaccines, even though the government says they are unrelated,” said Kenneth Ip, a 43-year-old real estate manager in Hong Kong who said he did not want to. to be vaccinated. “If they made it mandatory, I would choose BioNTech, not Sinovac.”
Hong Kong skepticism underscores public hesitation over vaccines facing governments around the world, including the future of the shooting made by AstraZeneca Plc following reports of blood clotting in a small number of people in Europe.
The Asian financial center has so far administered equivalent doses to cover 2% of its population, compared to 6.9% for Singapore and 54% in Israel, leading the world in vaccinations, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker. Authorities have moved twice to expand the vaccine-eligible group, after only a small percentage of people in the priority groups chose to be caught.
In a weekly briefing on Tuesday, Lam said the city would consider extending vaccine eligibility to anyone over the age of 16 once more doses have arrived. She also said she would look at more incentives to boost vaccination, including whether it would be possible to reduce the mandatory 21-day quarantine for residents returning to the territory.
“I will personally analyze this issue,” she told reporters.
The Hong Kong vaccine does not come after reports of side effects
Liu Peicheng, a spokesman for Sinovac, said the death toll initially reported in Hong Kong after the first round of vaccinations was “unexpectedly high”. While understanding the concerns among residents, Liu stressed that the deaths were not related to the vaccine, while adding that a media frenzy has aggravated the situation.
“Once the trust is hurt, it’s really very hard to overturn,” Liu said, adding that Sinovac had more back in Hong Kong than anywhere else in the world. He said that 70 million doses of Sinovac were administered worldwide, almost a third of which went to people aged 60 and over, and the rate of adverse events was equally low in all age groups.
Sinovac said late Monday that it will be able to produce 2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine this year.
Of Hong Kong analysis shows Sinovac efficacy at approximately 62% after the second dose, compared to 97% for BioNTech. And, although BioNTech was available in Hong Kong later than Sinovac, it is now getting used to at a faster pace.
Widening the gap
Despite a delayed start, BioNTech inoculations surpass Sinovac’s
The percentage of people who do not show up for Sinovac appointments has fluctuated around 20% in the last seven days, according to government data, compared to an average of less than 7% for BioNTech. As of Friday, an average of 15,000 people a day received a dose of BioNTech, the data show, while the number of residents who received Sinovac at that time averaged 10,700.
Lam Ching-choi, Carrie Lam’s doctor and adviser, said that “in retrospect” it was possible for the government to conduct Sinovac early, and the highly publicized but unrelated deaths discouraged people from being inoculated. However, he added, administration experts said Sinovac is safe and could be used in the elderly.
Hong Kong Secretary of Food and Health Sophia Chan and Public Service Secretary Patrick Nip receive the second dose of Sinovac Biotech Ltd. Covid-19 vaccine on March 22.
Photographer: Ivan Abreu / Bloomberg
“Every measure, whether it’s controlling the epidemic or launching the vaccination program, is all calibrated and guided by science and experts,” he said. “But unfortunately, sometimes they can’t be perceived as positive by the general public.”
Hong Kong vaccine reservations pass on the first day of extended access
In addition to early deaths, the lack of data from Sinovac on how shootings affect the elderly has fueled public reluctance to get vaccinated. In the emergency approval of Sinovac, the Hong Kong Committee of Experts noted there were “insufficient data on efficacy in humans decrepit 60 and over. “
One In a statement last week, the government said the committee of experts recommended Sinovac because the benefit “generally outweighs the risk of not using vaccines” in people aged 60 and over. He accused critics of trying to “dirty” the Sinovac vaccine.
“I’m not sure why there is so much enthusiasm for Sinovac in the Hong Kong government,” said Benjamin Cowling, a professor and head of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Hong Kong. “A vaccine is not as effective and there is not much evidence of its effectiveness in older adults over the age of 60.”
Hesitation on the vaccine
Introductory fare to those who have booked Sinovac routes behind BioNTech
Source: Statements by the Hong Kong Government
Carrie Lam has it herself criticized the slow absorption and said last week that the government will explore whether there is room for relaxation of social distance measures for vaccinated people. Beijing earlier this month facilitated the visa process for people who received vaccines made in China.
But the pro-democracy opposition in Hong Kong blames the government for using public health issues for political purposes, including citing the one-year delay in the Legislative Council elections. Beijing earlier this month reorganized the electoral system to make sure the Communist Party vetoed the candidates.
How China influences transforms the Hong Kong landscape
Ramon Yuen, a district councilor for the opposition Democratic Party, said Carrie Lam had only received the Sinovac shot to show her “loyalty” to China and should have been more cautious in launching vaccines for the elderly.
“It has damaged people’s confidence in the system,” Yuen said. “Many people say the government has its own agenda, and this will have an impact on the effectiveness of public health policy.”
– With the assistance of Chloe Lo
(Updates to Carrie Lam’s weekly briefing in paragraph 9.)