Coronavirus vaccines: Hong Kong’s slow trek to booster shots. ‘What are we getting protected from, if there are no cases?’
- With no local cases for more than a month, third vaccine dose will bring little benefit, experts agree
- Too soon to consider third jab when vaccination rates remain low, especially among the elderly
Hong Kong’s reluctance to start a booster vaccine drive is linked to its success in achieving “zero Covid” infections and the slow rate of giving first and second jabs to enough residents, especially the elderly, experts have said.
Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, a government pandemic adviser, said the city’s approach differed from that of countries such as the United States or Britain, which were pushing ahead with booster shot programmes.
Pointing out that Hong Kong had not seen local Covid-19 cases for more than a month, he said: “What are we trying to get protected from, if we don’t have cases? In foreign countries where there are local cases, an extra dose can offer protection.”
Professor Benjamin Cowling, head of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Hong Kong, agreed, saying: “In Hong Kong at present, the equation is different because we don’t have any Covid cases in the community and we are not expecting many cases in the next year.”
The city has not seen any locally transmitted cases since August 17, when a 47-year-old airport worker was listed as a local case without a known source, although health officials believe she probably got infected at the airport rather than in the community.
