Show us HK's vaccine roadmap

Government infectious disease adviser David Hui Shu-cheong probably disclosed the hard truth when he predicted Covid vaccination would begin in the third quarter of 2021, with the majority having to wait until 2022.

This is an alarming timetable and I hope this is just the worst-case scenario that Health Secretary Sophia Chan Siu-chee has in mind.

If this is the best-case scenario that Chan envisions, it means the city could be heading for a disaster since - as we have learned to our cost from public blunders in recent years - delays will be inevitable and Hongkongers may have to wait even longer for relief from the pandemic.

But I appreciate Hui being brave enough to reveal to us a truth that his boss dared not make public.

By now, so many months into the pandemic, the Health Bureau should have already drawn up a vaccination roadmap.

In light of Hui's bold comments, Chan should step forward now to announce every detail of that vaccination roadmap - from the best to the worst case scenarios - so that the public knows what to expect and will not be caught offguard again during the agonizing wait.

Yesterday, pro-government lawmakers Ben Chan Han-pan and Gary Chan Hak-kan tried to be critical when they urged Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's administration to act aggressively to put together a vaccination program for Hongkongers.

It was curious to hear them pleading with the government to use Chinese vaccines if they prove to be safe and effective.

It is curious not because of the Chinese vaccine but because of their observation. Is it because they are aware of obstacles that Hong Kong has encountered during the purchase? What could be the reasons for the obstacles, if any? Is it something political due to tension over Hong Kong?

Elsewhere, the UK has begun vaccinating citizens, with 90-year-old grandmother Margaret Keenan becoming the first person to receive an approved Covid vaccine in the West.

The US is expected to follow very soon, with 100 million Americans getting the jabs next year.

Some places as near as Macau are ready for the cure too. Earlier this week, the health secretary's counterpart in Macau expressed confidence the enclave would receive delivery of some of its orders before year end.

Although Macau did not spell out which vaccines it has ordered, local media has reported they include the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine - and Hui believed Macau must have placed its orders very early.

Although the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine is still awaiting the regulatory greenlight, the chief editor of medical journal The Lancet believes approval will be given within weeks. Details of the vaccine have been published in the journal for peer reviews.

Macau is once again ahead of Hong Kong, this time is with vaccines. When the pandemic started, Macau had already built up a stock of personal protective equipment including masks and gloves for its residents, while Hong Kong was in a state of chaos as it scrambled to get PPEs amid a global shortage.

Vaccines will be in short supply in the near future and it will be most unfortunate if the government has not learned from that PPE fiasco.