Flu vaccine makers ‘set aside 200,000 doses’ for Hong Kong, after private clinics warn of low stocks amid delayed influenza peak
- Department of Health reveals vaccines for private clinics have been secured, in response to warnings over dwindling reserves
- Authorities recently announced beginning of flu season, with experts saying delayed start linked to timing of mask mandate’s removal
Flu vaccine makers have vowed that Hong Kong will have enough supplies after private clinics said stocks were running low amid a delayed influenza peak after the lifting of the mask mandate, with one doctor revealing more than 200,000 doses had been secured.
The city’s supplies came into the spotlight after the government last Thursday announced the beginning of the flu season and urged residents to get vaccinated against the respiratory infection.
The Department of Health on Monday said there would be enough flu vaccines for private doctors, who had warned their stocks for the government’s vaccination programme, which started in October, were dwindling.
“[The department] has confirmed with various flu vaccine suppliers that there will be a sufficient amount of flu vaccines, which will expire in June or later, for private doctors to order,” it said. “Doctors can contact the suppliers and purchase the flu vaccines based on their needs.”
Family doctor Dr Edmund Lam Wing-wo said about 1,200 doctors taking part in the government’s vaccination subsidy scheme had received a department letter that vaccines were available for them to reserve from Tuesday.
A day earlier, Lam said three manufacturers – Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Abbott – had agreed to earmark more than 200,000 doses of flu vaccine in total for Hong Kong.
He added that the extra jabs were slated for the current influenza season to reinforce supplies of those used in the vaccination scheme that started last year.
As Hong Kong struggles with shortage of drug Tamiflu, should residents worry?
He said he had not noticed a recent surge in people asking for the jabs, but expected there could be more demand after the official announcement of the start of the flu season.
“Those who were interested to get a flu jab have already received their vaccination,” he said. “We need to see whether there will be more people coming forward after the Easter holiday.”
Lam said he had already used up all 2,000 doses of flu vaccine he had ordered earlier, and his clinic had been running out of stock since March. He would initially order 10 doses from the new round to avoid wastage.
Drugmaker GSK on Tuesday said its stock of 2022-23 northern hemisphere flu vaccine jabs was at an “appropriate amount”, while Sanofi noted it had a stable supply for the city.
The Post has contacted Abbott for comment.
Medical Association president Dr Cheng Chi-man was sceptical about a rise in demand for the vaccines.
“Usually flu vaccinations are done by February … very few doctors would order extra doses in April,” Cheng said.
April was usually the time to order flu jabs for the coming autumn, he explained.
He admitted it was hard to determine how many people would go to receive the vaccines every year, but demand could be boosted by the official announcement of a flu surge or related deaths.
Hongkongers urged to up vigilance against flu after ‘slight’ infection spike
Authorities on Tuesday said local market data showed the supply of Tamiflu, which is used to treat high-risk patients with the flu, was currently stable for the capsule form. It added that supply of the liquid form of the drug was “slightly tight” at the moment.
The Department of Health said it has been stockpiling the antivirals and was coordinating with distributors to ensure an adequate drug supply for the private healthcare market.
Hong Kong’s flu season traditionally started in January and ended around March or April. But since 2020, apart from a short peak from the start of that year until February, the city had not seen any surge in cases until now, partly because of the Covid-19 mask mandate and social-distancing measures.
Paediatricians last week warned that children’s wards at public hospitals were being overwhelmed with patients because of a surge in flu cases and other respiratory infections.
On Tuesday, Hong Kong Private Hospitals Association chairman Dr William Ho Shiu-wei said occupancy rates at paediatric wards in private facilities were also higher than before.
Aside from cases of respiratory illness, children were also being admitted while undergoing elective surgical procedures, as well as conditions such as diarrhoea, he added.
Children’s wards overwhelmed amid flu surge, Hong Kong paediatrician warns
A day earlier, Cheng said he believed the season starting in April this year was likely to have been linked to the lifting of the mask mandate in March.
According to Centre for Health Protection data, a total of 1.53 million doses of flu vaccine were administered under various government vaccination schemes as of April 2, a 24 per cent year-on-year increase.
About 47 per cent of residents aged 65 or over have been inoculated against the flu, with the rate around 40 per cent among children aged from six months to 17 years.
