Difficult to prove who is unfit for vaccination: doctors

There are difficulties when proving a citizen is fit for getting vaccine jabs, Ho Pak-leung, the head of Hong Kong University’s Centre for Infection, said in a radio program. 

The government will launch the “Vaccine Bubble” scheme tomorrow. Workers have to submit forms and provide medical proof if they could not get their vaccines because of health conditions. 

Ho said that if citizens think they are unfit for getting their jabs but they don’t have relevant medical proof or are not listed as unfit for vaccine by the government, doctors would hardly issue certification and it would cause argument and complaint. 

Ho added that the label on Sinvac vaccine lists five conditions that recommend people not to get the shot, while unstable blood pressure is not one of them. The label on BioNTech vaccine also says people with one condition should not get the jabs. 

Diabetes, obesity or “three high” -- high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugars, are also not conditions restricting people from getting their jabs, Ho pointed out. 

Ho said that the government wishes to encourage citizens to receive vaccines by easing on social distancing measures in restaurants, and the four modes of restaurant operations can take care of different needs. 

Restaurants that qualified for  mode D, in which staffers are fully vaccinated and customers have received the first dose of vaccine and use LeaveHomeSafe, can provide a less risky area for gathering, Ho added as well.