Why did Hong Kong pick three Covid-19 vaccines over 10 others and did it make the right call?
- The scientific, logistical and even political reasons behind how authorities decided which manufacturers would provide doses
- While leading health experts largely agree with the final list, a prominent doctor has raised concerns over the inclusion of one mainland Chinese firm
But one leading doctor questioned why mainland Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech was among the final approved companies, given it had not yet published third-phase data on its vaccine candidate.
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The former will supply a million doses next month, while the latter will distribute another million jabs, via the mainland’s Fosun Pharma, in the first quarter of next year. A third deal with AstraZeneca, also involving 7.5 million shots, is in the works.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor hailed the development as a “breakthrough” moment and said the government was prepared to buy up to 30 million shots to ensure the city’s 7.5 million residents could receive two jabs if they wanted, adding the scheme would be free and voluntary.
The advance purchase agreements negotiated directly with vaccine manufacturers are on top of the global Covax Facility procurement mechanism managed by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with two other platforms, Gavi and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, that the city has joined.
Local officials have also secured the central government’s pledge to provide a “certain amount” of mainland-made vaccines to the city if necessary.