Coronavirus: could Hong Kong’s approach to enticing vaccination backfire, and is the city a victim of its own success in Covid-19 war?

Name: Hong Kong tycoons offer HK$10.8 million flat to boost Covid-19 jabs
Uploaded: 2021-05-30T09:30:15.000Z
Duration: 1 min 26 s
Description: Hong Kong tycoons offer HK$10.8 million flat to boost Covid-19 jabs

Experts warn suggestion of donating surplus vaccines could be seen as a ‘threat’, while perks trickling in could cause more suspicion for sceptics

Quarantine-free travel as incentive, spreading vaccine message to younger age groups via non-official channels raised as better confidence boosters

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Hong Kong has been grappling with a sluggish vaccination drive. Photo: Sam Tsang

Victor TingandNg Kang-chung

Published: 5:30pm, 30 May 2021Updated: 8:59am, 31 May 2021

The Hong Kong government caused a stir last week when it revealed it was considering giving away surplus Covid-19 vaccines amid a sluggish inoculation drive, but health and public affairs experts argued the announcement itself was not enough to spur residents into action.

On Friday, property tycoons from the Sino Group, Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation and Chinese Estates Holdings sent shock waves across the city by announcing they were sponsoring a lucky draw for a new flat worth HK$10.8 million (US$1.4 million) in Kwun Tong for those who have received two jabs.

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Hong Kong tycoons offer HK$10.8 million flat to boost Covid-19 jabs

Total bookings for vaccinations surged on the back of news of the lottery, from 20,200 on Thursday, to 25,600 on Friday, 28,200 on Saturday and 26,900 on Sunday. But can this enthusiasm last?

After mounting a hard-fought campaign to secure 15 million vaccines from BioNTech and Sinovac, enough to cover the city’s population of 7.5 million, the government said on Tuesday it could postpone delivery of some batches or donate unused doses to other places, a move branded by one health expert as a “threat” to Hongkongers.

The city has been struggling with a lacklustre vaccination drive, with only 2.25 million doses administered, out of a total of more than 4 million that have arrived. As of Sunday, slightly over 1 million residents, or 13.4 per cent of the population, were fully vaccinated with two jabs, far below the required mark for herd immunity, or 70 per cent as some scientists estimated. A further 354,700 people have received their first jab.