So what are some countries doing to encourage people to get vaccinated, and what do local medical experts suggest city authorities do?

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What has the government said about possible incentives?

Lam also revealed the government had initiated talks with mainland Chinese authorities over resuming cross-border travel.

“We are exploring under what condition travel restrictions can be relaxed for people who have received both doses of Covid-19 vaccines,” she said.

Centre for Health Protection controller Dr Ronald Lam Man-kin said on Thursday there was a chance of relaxing certain social-distancing rules when more than 50 per cent of the population had received the vaccine.

Professor Lau Yu-lung, chairman of the scientific committee on vaccine preventable diseases at the centre, said there could be discussions about visitation measures for hospital patients and at elderly care homes depending on the inoculation rate. He added that when the vaccination coverage rate would reach 75 per cent, talks about relaxing measures on the international flow of people might also be achieved although that would still be a “challenging task”.

Hong Kong’s vaccination drive was expanded this week to include all residents over age 30, domestic helpers and students who studied overseas, meaning 5.5 million people were now eligible.

What is happening elsewhere?

In Israel, about 60 per cent of the 9.3 million population have received one dose of a vaccine, with about half of citizens getting two shots already. The country recently introduced a “green pass”, in the form of either a physical document or downloaded to a smartphone, which allows the holder to visit gyms, hotels, swimming pools, restaurants and even concerts. Many of these places are said to remain off-limits to the rest, including those aged under 16 and not eligible for a vaccine.

In the United States, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says fully vaccinated people can visit one another indoors without wearing a mask or practising physical distancing. They can also visit unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk of severe Covid-19 disease without having to put on a mask or maintain a distance. They are also exempt from quarantine and testing.

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Earlier this month, the European Commission proposed a “digital green certificate” that would allow those who had been vaccinated, received a negative test result, or recovered from Covid-19 to travel freely within EU member states. It would apply to all European Union citizens and others legally staying in the bloc.

Should Hong Kong offer similar incentives?

Infectious disease expert Dr Joseph Tsang Kay-yan says Hong Kong authorities should consider allowing people to gather in groups of 10, for example, in restaurants or other public places as long as they have been vaccinated.

“Places like saunas and mahjong parlours can be allowed to open again for those who have been vaccinated. Other premises, like nightclubs, can be reopened too for these customers,” he said.

Saunas, mahjong parlours, nightclubs and some other businesses, as well as swimming pools, currently must remain shut. Public gatherings are limited to a maximum of four people.

The authorities were not quick enough in securing enough vaccines so countries elsewhere had more of their population vaccinated, he said.

Professor Benjamin Cowling, head of the University of Hong Kong’s epidemiology and biostatistics division, said at least 70 per cent of the city’s population had to be vaccinated before there was a “permanent end” to social-distancing measures.

In the short term, he said, such measures could still be needed intermittently to control surges in community transmission.

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On incentives, Cowling said: “I think it would be reasonable to replace quarantine with mandatory testing for close contacts who have been fully vaccinated. Second, I think people could be exempt from an overnight movement restriction [but not exempt from mandatory testing] if they have been fully vaccinated.”

Are ‘vaccine passes’ fair?

Respiratory medicine specialist Dr Leung Chi-chiu said implementing vaccine passes – formal proof that someone has been inoculated – that would only allow jab recipients to enter premises such as restaurants, bars and gyms posed an equity issue.

“The government cannot force people to get vaccinated. They have freedom of choice and the right of equal access to essential services,” he said.

People had to be responsible for their own decisions and understand the risks of not getting vaccinated, Leung said.

“The government cannot keep extending social-distancing measures just because a minority of people choose not to get the jab,” he added.

Why are some Hongkongers hesitant about taking the jabs?

Two types of vaccines are currently available in Hong Kong: mainland-manufactured Sinovac jabs and German-made BioNTech shots.

The BioNTech jab is indicated for use in individuals aged 16 or older, while the Sinovac vaccine is recommended for those aged 18 years and above, according to government guidelines.

Seven people have died after receiving the Sinovac shots, leading to mounting concerns among the public over potential side effects, even though no links have been established between the fatalities and the jabs, according to the government’s medical advisers.

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The take-up rate of the two vaccines shows the public is more in favour of the BioNTech jab.

Unionist Wong Yu-loy, 43, has no plans to ever take the vaccines. He said the manufacturers only had a short time to develop the jabs before introducing them to the market, so he feared there could be some unknown side effects.

“I fear that while the coronavirus will not kill me, the vaccines may,” Wong said.