Coronavirus: Hong Kong records week-long surge in vaccinations, hitting daily high of 46,000 jabs just before 100th day of drive
- Civil service minister Patrick Nip notes a mixed report card for inoculation drive, warns next round of BioNTech shipment pushed back to avoid wastage
- Officials confirm the local infection of student, 17, breaking a 42-day streak of zero unlinked Covid-19 cases in city
Hong Kong has recorded a week-long surge in its vaccination rate, with daily jabs administered nearly doubling to 46,000 on Friday after the government and businesses ramped up campaigning for the city’s inoculation drive.
Marking a mixed report card as the vaccination programme reached its 100th day of operations on Saturday, Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen told a radio show that a recent government announcement stating the unvaccinated might be barred from restaurants, schools and other “high-risk” premises was not a bid to punish or discriminate.
Nip said the approach was to avoid a “blanket” closure policy should another wave of infections hit.
Separately, authorities confirmed the case of a 17-year-old student was locally transmitted and untraceable, ending a 42-day streak of no unlinked Covid-19 cases in the city.
Hong Kong began its mass vaccination programme on February 26, but it has not been easy convincing residents to get a jab.