Editorial | Coronavirus jabs push needed to help save vulnerable in Hong Kong
- As the city rushes to vaccinate 40,000 people in care homes against the deadly virus, residents must be made aware it is in their interest to have the shots
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.
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Carrie Lam admits ‘not enough’ done to vaccinate elderly Hongkongers from Covid-19
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.