Vaccines have always been the last line of defence against the deadly coronavirus. The message has been amplified by the growing number of fatalities among patients not inoculated. As the government shifts focus to reducing deaths and infections, the need to vaccinate more vulnerable citizens has never been greater. The two must go hand in hand to avoid further loss of life. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor set the right tone on Friday when she conceded that too little had been done to broaden vaccination coverage. It was only over the past couple of months that the government reopened more inoculation centres and introduced a vaccine pass for entering supermarkets and other premises. So far, about 300,000 citizens aged 70 or above, and 260,000 children aged between three and 11 have still not received any shots. The government inevitably bears the brunt of criticism as the death toll continues to spiral. Officials said the prolonged period of near-zero infections before the current fifth Covid-19 wave had dampened people’s desire to receive jabs. Separately, some are still resisting the government’s offer to vaccinate senior family members in care institutions. Looking back, a more proactive approach could have been taken. The rush to vaccinate 40,000 vulnerable residents of care homes in the coming week is a daunting challenge. According to the government, some 75 per cent and 91 per cent of institutions for the disabled and elderly respectively have witnessed recent outbreaks. Yet about 10 per cent of residents have shunned jabs because of opposition from family members. With more vulnerable people and care workers coming down with the virus each day, health risks in such premises cannot be ignored. Hong Kong funeral homes ‘fully booked until mid-April’ as Covid toll rises The government has rightly stepped up on-site medical assessment to speed up the process. It is for the residents’ own benefit that they receive the shots. That it has taken more than a year to achieve a 90 per cent threshold for the first jab is cause for reflection rather than relief. The recent fall in daily infections must not be taken as a green light to lower one’s guard. The last thing the city wants is the vaccination drive thwarted again by scepticism and a false sense of security.