Coronavirus: government advisory panel ‘unanimously backs’ extending Hong Kong’s vaccination scheme to children as young as 12

All members of the Advisory Panel on Covid-19 Vaccines recommend offering the BioNTech jab to children aged 12 to 15; final approval rests with health minister

Currently, only those aged 16 or above are eligible for jabs under the city’s community vaccination scheme

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Hong Kong’s Covid-19 vaccination scheme should be opened up to those aged between 12 and 16, according to health experts. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 12:13pm, 2 Jun 2021Updated: 11:29pm, 2 Jun 2021

Hong Kong children as young as 12 could soon be vaccinated against the coronavirus after a government advisory panel unanimously backed expanding the city’s inoculation programme.

A source said all 12 members of the Advisory Panel on Covid-19 Vaccines had by Wednesday voted for recommending BioNTech shots to children aged 12 to 15.

The recommendation would be passed to Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee for final approval. The Post has asked the Food and Health Bureau when that would be given.

The results of the vote came after Fosun Pharma, which distributes BioNTech vaccines in China, submitted an application to the Department of Health last Saturday to lower the minimum age threshold for vaccine eligibility to 12.

Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, a government pandemic adviser who sits on the panel, urged all eligible children to get the vaccine. “If a child has been taking vaccines necessary for children, why can’t they be vaccinated with the Covid-19 shots?” Yuen said.