Mainlanders welcome to get HK jabs

Mainlanders can get the BioNTech bivalent jab in Hong Kong as the vaccine maker's Chinese partner Fosun Pharma has made its online booking system available.

To register, all they have to do is enter their name, age and recovery date from a Covid infection.

After successful registration, they can go to the city and get the vaccine at their own cost after the border reopens. The cost has yet to be announced.

The BioNTech and its bivalent vaccines have been registered as pharmaceutical products in Hong Kong - allowing drug manufacturers to supply the jabs to the private market.

But local doctors said Hongkongers should be prioritized to get the shot.

A private doctor said he received queries from patients about how their relatives and friends from the mainland could receive vaccines in the city.

He said that while mainlanders may flock to the city to get the jab, local residents should be given priority.

Infectious disease specialist Joseph Tsang Kai-yan believes the two options of the BioNTech jabs - alongside the vaccines being made available in the private sector - means that there will be less of an impact on the availability of shots for locals even after the border reopens.

Meanwhile, the SAR's requirement to perform a PCR test on arrival and isolate Covid patients should remain despite the mainland lifting restrictions, medical experts said.

But politicians believe the city should follow the nation's direction and abandon all epidemic curbs.

Medical sector lawmaker David Lam Tzit-yuen said canceling the PCR tests on arrival for inbound visitors would cause a hazard to the community. But legislator Doreen Kong Yuk-foon said Hong Kong's anti-Covid measures should now be brought into line with those across the border as she called for the scrapping of rules on face masks, the vaccine pass scheme and social distancing requirements.

Kong warned there could be "controversies" or "conflicts" if the city's current pandemic rules are still in place when mainland tourists arrive to the territory.

It is understood that authorities will scrap post-arrival PCR tests in the next few days in order to be in line with China's latest policies.

Lawmaker Kingsley Wong Kwok said experts should further discuss whether to abolish the restrictions.

Currently, inbound travelers are required to take PCR tests upon landing and on the second day of arrival.

It is understood that Hong Kong will adjust the PCR test requirements on arrival before the end of the year to minimize the disparity between overseas and mainland travelers' entry procedures. The announcement will be made once Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau receives all the scientific data.

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com