Coronavirus: Hong Kong cancer patient given wrong vaccine in mix-up over inoculation centres can have two BioNTech jabs

Health authorities make an exception on mixing vaccines, provided the 55-year-old Scotsman waives liability

David Allardice wanted BioNTech vaccine, but went to the wrong centre where he was given Sinovac jab

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Hong Kong currently offers coronavirus vaccines provided by China’s Sinovac and Germany’s BioNTech. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 8:00am, 9 May 2021Updated: 10:24pm, 9 May 2021

A blood cancer patient who received the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine by mistake after going to the wrong inoculation centre in Hong Kong will now get two BioNTech jabs.

Hong Kong health authorities said they were making an exception in allowing the mixing of vaccines because of Scotsman David Allardice’s “unique circumstances”, but with conditions attached.

The 55-year-old retiree, who has been living in Hong Kong for more than 30 years, told the Post he was relieved to hear the news and hoped getting the vaccine of his choice would make it easier for him to return to Scotland to “touch the earth one more time”.

“That’s the one place I’m really desperate to get back to,” said Allardice, who is being treated for terminal leukaemia.

From the start, Allardice wanted the German-made BioNTech vaccine, but he went with a companion to the wrong centre in March and received China’s Sinovac jab instead.

They had booked to go to a vaccination centre in Kwun Tong which administers the BioNTech vaccine, but went to the Kowloon Bay Sports Centre where only Sinovac was available.