Coronavirus: Sinovac seeks approval for Hong Kong children aged 3 and above to receive its shots; officials ‘to ease travel entry rules for youngsters’
- Sinovac asks Hong Kong authorities to lower minimum age threshold for the vaccine
- Officials to announce 12 to 17-year-olds who had received one dose of BioNTech vaccine will be allowed to return from high-risk countries, according to insider
Chinese vaccine manufacturer Sinovac has applied to Hong Kong health authorities to allow children as young as three to receive its Covid-19 jabs, the government has said.
Experts were also waiting for data about inoculating children aged five to 11 with shots made by Germany’s BioNTech, the other vaccine approved for use in Hong Kong, before making any recommendations about whether children younger than 12 should receive it, an insider said on Monday.
Health officials were also expected to announce on Tuesday that 12 to 17-year-olds who had received one dose of the BioNTech vaccine would be allowed to return from high-risk countries, including Britain, the United States and India, a government source said. The move comes ahead of the Christmas holidays and the expected return of students from overseas.
Under current requirements, arrivals from nations in the top category must be fully vaccinated and quarantine for 21 days. The decision was made as the city, as well as some places such as Britain, offered only one dose for this age group, the source explained, adding “the risk level of this group is manageable”.
Hong Kong does not allow minors to receive Sinovac shots, but mainland Chinese authorities have approved the jabs for children as young as three. The age in Chile is six, while Malaysia and Indonesia permit the shots for children aged between 12 and 17.
The BioNTech vaccine is already available to those aged 12 and above after a similar application was approved in June.