Coronavirus: Hong Kong logs 21 new cases, while official admits reports of serious health complications and three deaths after jabs have hit vaccine bookings

Official handling vaccination drive admits bookings take-up rate has fallen due to concerns over people seeking hospital treatment after receiving jabs

Health authorities are also dealing with a growing new outbreak stemming from Coast Seafood and Grill restaurant in Causeway Bay

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More than 100,000 people have been inoculated against Covid-19 since Hong Kong’s vaccination campaign began in late February. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 1:22pm, 9 Mar 2021Updated: 11:47pm, 9 Mar 2021

Hong Kong confirmed 21 new Covid-19 infections on Tuesday, the highest daily caseload in nine days, while the minister handling the city’s mass vaccination programme admitted the take-up rate for bookings had dropped due to public concerns over people seeking hospital treatment after receiving the Sinovac vaccine.

Health authorities were also dealing with a growing new outbreak stemming from the Coast Seafood and Grill restaurant at Causeway Bay’s trendy Fashion Walk dining strip, where a fourth infection was reported on Tuesday.

Of the 21 new cases citywide, 13 were imported from countries including Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore – the highest since November 12.

One of the locally transmitted cases was a one-month-old baby, and three were untraceable.

The latest cases pushed the city’s infection tally to 11,120, with 202 related deaths.

Among the three unlinked cases was a 56-year-old man who had lunch at Coast Seafood and Grill on February 22. Three other people who had lunch there on the same day were confirmed infected earlier. All four had sat at three different tables close to each other.