Letters | Coronavirus vaccine: questions Hong Kong must answer to ensure a smooth roll-out

Name: Moderna Covid-19 vaccine nearly 95 per cent effective in second promising trial for US drug makers
Uploaded: 2020-11-19T23:25:12.000Z
Duration: 2 min 23 s
Description: Moderna Covid-19 vaccine nearly 95 per cent effective in second promising trial for US drug makers

The successful mass testing of more than a million people in September showcased Hong Kong’s ability to enact scalable public health operations, but the authorities now need to strategise and manage operations across a more complex set of tasks

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A medical worker takes a woman’s temperature at temporary testing centre for Covid-19 at Fu Shin Community Hall in Tai Po on November 9. How to identify and train workers to handle and administer vaccines and determining the location for administering shots are decisions Hong Kong’s government will have to make soon. Photo: Sam Tsang

Letters

Published: 7:25am, 20 Nov 2020Updated: 10:57am, 21 Nov 2020

Amid the urgency to identify a successful Covid-19 vaccine, the equally urgent need for a robust distribution infrastructure has been much less discussed. Once a vaccine receives approval in Hong Kong, many key questions remain to be addressed.

For example, how can we best gain public trust? Is this going to be a voluntary, voluntary and incentivised, or compulsory exercise? Will it be a government-run exercise? Can businesses mandate that their employees get a Covid-19 vaccine?

What is the best way to distribute and store vaccines across an ultra-deep cold chain? Can we roll out a transparently developed, phased allocation methodology so the medicines will not degrade at the point of administration? Should we have one or multiple distribution centres and how do we optimally locate them?

How should we identify and train workers to handle and administer vaccines, determine the location for administering shots for designated individuals, and schedule the shots? Besides health care workers, should the elderly with higher fatality rates be prioritised, or should we work on a first-come, first-served basis?

How should we ensure safe administration of the vaccine and availability of supplies? It is estimated that each worker performing vaccinations can only administer six doses an hour. How do we ensure adequate supplies of personal protective equipment?

02:23

Moderna Covid-19 vaccine nearly 95 per cent effective in second promising trial for US drug makers

How do we get people to return for a second dose of the vaccine, which is required by all but one vaccine candidate?

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.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Letters | Coronavirus vaccine: questions Hong Kong must answer to ensure a smooth roll-out

Letters | Coronavirus vaccine: questions Hong Kong must answer to ensure a smooth roll-out