Coronavirus: 1 imported case confirmed; expert says 80 to 90 per cent vaccination rate will ensure Hong Kong’s protection against variants

Government vaccine adviser Professor Lau Yu-lung points to record 70,010 doses administered on Friday

City marks 33 days without local Covid-19 infection, with Saturday’s sole imported case involving an arrival from Britain

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People in Hong Kong queue up for vaccines in Causeway Bay. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 11:45am, 10 Jul 2021Updated: 10:39pm, 10 Jul 2021

Hong Kong will be well protected against coronavirus variants with a vaccination rate of 80 to 90 per cent, a government adviser on the inoculation drive has said amid rising momentum for the jabs.

Professor Lau Yu-lung, chairman of the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases, said he felt encouraged to see the latest surge in the number of people getting vaccinated, pointing to a new high of 70,010 doses administered a day earlier.

He ramped up the call for vaccinations with the city confirming one new imported infection from Britain on Saturday, marking 33 days without a local Covid-19 case. The official tally stood at 11,950, with 212 related deaths.

The Centre for Health Protection said there were fewer than five preliminary-positive cases, but it was investigating a case involving a 50-year-old airport worker, carrying the more transmissive L452R variant, which has been linked to several strains, including the Delta one first reported in India.

Professor Lau Yu-lung, a government adviser on vaccines. Photo: Edmond So

Residents living at 1-3 Kam Fung Street in Wong Tai Sin, where the airport employee lives, were subject to a lockdown starting on Saturday evening after the discovery.

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