The Hong Kong Medical Association said there is no direct link between flu vaccinations and a spate of deaths of people in Korea and Taiwan who had been recently inoculated.
Dr Alvin Chan Yee-shing of the Association said citizens should not believe in rumors, urging citizens to receive their influenza vaccinations as soon as possible.
“The government should take the initiative to clarify the safety of the vaccines used in Hong Kong. The vaccines should also be acquired through different manufacturers, lowering the risks,” Chan added.
The association also pointed out that the private doctors participating in the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination School Outreach programs at kindergartens and child care centers handle their own purchasing and storing of the vaccines, claiming it might be difficult for the doctors to handle the process.
They suggested that the government should be responsible for acquiring and distributing all of the vaccines used in Hong Kong, while private doctors will only have to give the injections.
President of the Association Gabriel Choi Kin also mentioned that the government is currently exploring the possibility of implementing mandatory Covid testing for close contacts of the infected, urging authorities to announce their plan.
“If the mandatory testing only requires those who live in the same building, study at the same school or dine within the same restaurant to undergo Covid tests, it is certain that the association will be in support of these measures,” said Choi.
He also stressed that there are currently 33 types of people exempted from quarantine while arriving in Hong Kong, saying it posed a certain degree of danger to the city, urging authorities to tighten the measures.
“Those who arrived in Hong Kong should undergo the Covid tests twice,” he claimed.
