Plea for swift import of safe mainland vaccines

A pro-Beijing political party is calling for Hong Kong authorities to import Covid-19 vaccines made in the mainland once they are proved to be safe.

Lawmaker Ben Chan Han-pan, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said he is unhappy about the administration's failure to provide a clear timetable for vaccinations.

So party members will be meeting with Food and Health Bureau officials to push for a launch early next year of a free vaccination program for all residents.

He said the hope is officials will let Hongkongers "receive vaccines from our country once they are approved by the National Medical Products Administration."

Chan added: "The government should also import vaccines from other countries that are proven to be safe and reliable."

He said there are currently 11 vaccine candidates, including two from China, awaiting approval from the World Health Organization and the multinational Covax facility. And Chan said he hoped officials will not apply a complicated mechanism when approving imports of vaccines.

Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee has said there is a plan for free vaccinations for every Hongkonger, though priority will be given to medics and care home staff, the elderly and the chronically ill.

In Macau, vaccines for medics and related workers are expected to start arriving this month.

Amid the pandemic the Legislative Council, meanwhile, is considering switching some of its panel meetings online.

Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen met with lawmakers yesterday to discuss such meetings.

As some panel meetings for policy briefings have had to be delayed amid the pandemic, Leung said, informal sessions may be held online if lawmakers are interested.

Such meetings will not be regulated by the legislature's Rules of Procedure and there will not be any voting.

But the content of views expressed in online meetings will not be protected by the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance, which grants lawmakers immunity from civil or criminal proceedings for their words.

"Of course, our legal advisers will study the next step forward," Leung added.

He also said the secretariat has been introducing legislators to the idea of holding meetings using the Zoom video conference facility for the past few days. And the chairmen of legislative panels will have to notify the secretariat three days in advance to arrange a Zoom meeting, which the public may watch.

Health services panel chairwoman Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan plans to hold a special meeting on Wednesday to discuss anti-pandemic measures and the supply of vaccines. Quat said she will not rule out using Zoom for the meeting.

Civic Passion legislator Cheng Chung-tai, however, wrote on Facebook that he will not participate in any online meetings due to "jurisprudence" and "decency" issues.

He also asked: "If the legislature allows voting or deliberation online, then can weddings or funerals be completed electronically?"

He was told in a briefing that Zoom meetings will be limited to informal meetings. Cheng was also told that rules of procedure will not be enforced if a legislator's face is hidden or another person appeared on his behalf during a Zoom meeting.

maisy.mok@singtaonewscorp.com

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