Private clinics to offer BioNTech jabs starting next Monday

Citizens can get the German-made BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in 24 private hospitals and clinics from next Monday, authorities announced on Tuesday. 

The Food and Health Bureau introduced a pilot scheme to allow eight private healthcare institutions who are already operators of community vaccination centers to administer BioNTech jabs for citizens. 

Since March, authorities have partnered with private clinics to administer Beijing-made Sinovac vaccines stored at fridge temperature. But the arrangement was not made for BioNTech at the time as the brand's shots have to be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius during logistics, and at fridge temperature for only a month after being thawed. 

As the city's vaccination program has been running for over nine months, authorities have overcome the difficulties in transportation and storage of the BioNTech jabs, which are currently only available at 16 vaccination centers, and to extend it to private hospitals and clinics to further facilitate and encourage inoculation. 

However, given each vial of the BioNTech vaccine contains six doses and it can only be stored for less than a week once the vial is opened and diluted, authorities have advised the hospitals and clinics to consolidate the vaccination appointments as far as practicable to avoid wastage of doses. 

Authorities will provide a HK$160 subsidy to the healthcare institutions for each dose they administer, and an additional subsidy of HK$50 for each jab given to elderly citizens above 59. 

The eight private healthcare institutions are Union Hospital, Hong Kong Sanitorium & Hospital, New Town Medical and Dental Services Limited, Virtus Care Limited, Quality HealthCare Medical Services, Humanity and Health Medical Group, Bamboos Professional Nursing Services and Human Health Associate, who will be offering the jabs at 24 of their branches. 

“Through the pilot scheme, the government will study the feasibility of providing vaccination services using the BioNTech vaccine at more non-government venues in the long term,” a government spokesperson said. 

Currently, 4.75 million or 70.5 percent of Hongkongers have taken at least one jab of the vaccine, including 4.53 million or 67.3 percent who have completed both doses.