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Covid vaccine boosters are no longer routinely recommended by the World Health Organization, which says their benefits are marginal.
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But the two scientific committees under the Department of Health, which earlier suggested people should receive a booster shot every six to 12 months, said children should still be triple-jabbed, which will bring sufficient protection so they no longer need to receive a fourth or fifth shot.
In an update of vaccination suggestions, the WHO said children and adolescents may not necessarily need a first injection, but older, high-risk groups should get multiple doses and a booster between six to 12 months after their last jab.
The chairman of the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases, Lau Yu-lung, said yesterday children who are not triple-jabbed should still receive all three doses, but it is only a suggestion and not compulsory.
Lau said Hong Kong's vaccination suggestion to children was different to the WHO's because the United Nations health organization has to make guidelines for more than 190 countries, and some countries only have limited resources.
"For example, a person who only has HK$100 has to make the best use of it. So countries with limited resources should provide vaccines to groups with the highest risk - the elderly and chronically ill," he said.
"However, Hong Kong may have HK$500, meaning we have sufficient jabs to offer their benefits to people with lower risks. We can help children get vaccinated so that they won't suffer from severe illness or even die."
Lau said Hong Kong will not launch mass vaccination schemes, but high-risk groups - those aged above 50, patients with serious illness, pregnant women and frontline medical workers - should receive a free extra booster shot six months after their last jab.
Other Hongkongers who have already received three doses can decide whether or not to receive another booster shot based on their own preference, he said.
"Healthy adults should be allowed to make their own choices, which is the same as the current arrangement. It means they can get another shot based on their personal reasons, not because we believe the vaccination is beneficial to public health," Lau said.
But the president of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Hong Kong, William Chui Chun-ming, said the government should stop offering free Covid jabs to all people.
The authorities should only offer free jabs to high-risk groups, including the elderly, while others should get the jab at their own expense - the same as the arrangement for flu vaccines, he said.
Although the WHO no longer suggests routine Covid vaccination, it will not stop pharmaceutical companies from developing new vaccines, Chui said.
"The antibodies can only stay in human bodies for six to eight months, which is not very long. Even though the demand for Covid vaccines has reduced, companies will still study vaccines that stay effective for a longer time and trigger stronger immune reactions to protect the vulnerable," he said.
The WHO said the aim of the policy change was to focus efforts on vaccinating those facing the greatest threat of severe disease and death, considering the high-level population immunity worldwide due to widespread infection and vaccination.
The UN agency defined high-risk populations as older adults, as well as younger people with other significant risk factors. For this group, the agency recommends an additional shot either six or 12 months after the latest dose, based on factors such as age.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health has launched an investigation after a Quality HealthCare center in Kowloon Bay reportedly administered expired BioNTech jabs to 14 individuals last week.
wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com
