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Exclusive | Hong Kong third wave: government ‘close’ to deciding on strategy for buying Covid-19 vaccine
- But authorities need to move quickly as nations are already securing supplies, says government adviser
- Comments come as trials at Oxford University and in mainland China suggest promising results
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Hong Kong will soon decide on its strategy for buying a vaccine to protect against the new coronavirus but waiting much longer could leave the city facing a shortage as nations rushed to secure supplies, a government adviser has said.
Scientists and companies across the world are competing to produce a safe and effective vaccine for the virus that has killed more than 610,000 people. Some governments are pushing ahead with orders even before the products are fully proven.
Early trial results of two vaccines, being developed by researchers at Oxford University and in mainland China, were published in The Lancet medical journal on Monday. Both claimed they produced immune responses in people participating in the trials.
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Professor Gabriel Leung, a public health expert advising the Hong Kong government on its Covid-19 response, told the Post he understood authorities were preparing to purchase vaccines.
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“In the near future, the government should be able to decide on the procurement strategy,” he said. “Which types of vaccines to purchase, how to purchase, how to implement the details … [plans on] all these should be done soon.”
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