How to prod people into having the jab has become a serious issue. It has not been made any simpler by an expert government advisory panel’s finding that the German-made BioNTech vaccine should be effective in protecting people from variants of the coronavirus, while there was insufficient data on which to base the same finding about the Sinovac vaccine produced on the mainland. This is likely to compound an emerging preference for BioNTech, which will do nothing to accelerate overall coverage of the population by two available vaccines. Regardless of vaccine preference, however, the authorities have not ruled out incentives for more people to get inoculated. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has said officials are considering inducements such as exemption from certain travel curbs and social-distancing rules. Thankfully, there has been a dramatic improvement in the number of appointments for vaccination and the attendance rates. But there is still room for improvement if the authorities are to relax anti-infection measures any time soon. This has prompted suggestions that completion of vaccination warrants recognition that acts as an incentive for people to get the jabs. One suggestion is that those who can show documentary evidence of vaccination can expect relief such as exemption from hotel quarantine at their own cost. Examples are to be found elsewhere. In the United States, national health authorities say fully vaccinated people can visit one another indoors without wearing a mask or practising physical distancing. That said, the prevailing expert medical advice is to resist the temptation to relax anti-infection measures at an early stage because of the risk of severely compromising any advance in immunity. But there remains a case for trying to strike a balance that offers something to people who may be considered largely immune. The right to home as opposed to hotel quarantine would be a significant concession, given that Hong Kong maintains strict travel restrictions for its own residents. Lam also said the government had initiated talks with mainland authorities over resuming cross-border travel for people who have received both doses of Covid-19 vaccines.