Hong Kong citizens’ distrust of the New Crown vaccine means that the Hong Kong government may soon have to throw away, millions of doses of expired vaccine that is craved but unavailable in other parts of the world.
Hong Kong – the former British colony – is one of the few places in the world where enough doses of the New Crown vaccine can be procured for the 7.5 million people it has. However, the vaccination campaign has fallen far short of expectations for several reasons.
First, two years after the huge popular protest mobilization in 2019, Hong Kong people’s distrust of the Hong Kong government has deepened and they see it as an accomplice to China’s repression of human rights for Hong Kong people, AFP notes.
And the hesitancy to vaccinate is also the result of misinformation and a relatively widespread, unhurried feeling of vaccination, partly because the virus has a low prevalence in Hong Kong and therefore limited health risks, and partly because of a lack of propaganda to encourage it.
Many people see no point in getting vaccinated, especially since the tough no-footing rule has dampened the desire to travel.
On Tuesday (May 25), a senior Hong Kong government official warned that Hong Kong people only have “three months left” before the first batch of Pfizer vaccine expires.
A former inspector of the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection – Mr. Tsang – said on Hong Kong radio, “Vaccines have an expiry date after which they cannot be used, and according to the current schedule, the neighborhood vaccination centers that administer Pfizer vaccines will cease to operate after September.” He reiterated that “the whole world is trying to find the vaccine”, noting that it is “unfair” that Hong Kong does not use the doses possessed.
The phenomenon coincides with a call by six leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean on Monday (May 24) for the international community to ensure equitable access to vaccines and to ask countries with excess doses to share them.
The leaders of Argentina, Mexico, Jamaica, Bolivia, Ecuador and Uruguay, in a statement released by Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado, said, “We strongly call on those countries that have surplus doses, or have already vaccinated their at-risk populations, to implement measures to ensure that these surplus doses are immediately and equitably distributed.
Hong Kong has already purchased 7.5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, as well as the same amount of the mainland Kexing vaccine, which is available in Hong Kong, although it has not yet been approved by the WHO (World Health Organization).
Hong Kong had also pre-ordered 7.5 million doses of the British AstraZeneca vaccine, but later cancelled the reservation, explaining that the Hong Kong government planned to use the funds for the budget of a second-generation vaccine.
To date, 19% of Hong Kong’s population has received the first dose of the vaccine, and 14% have received the second dose.
What’s more, hesitation about the vaccine has been found among health workers. A few weeks ago, hospital authorities revealed that only one-third of health care workers had been vaccinated, despite being the focus.
In total, Hong Kong has received nearly 3.3 million doses of Pfizer vaccine. But only 1.2 million doses have been administered.
Mr. Tsang again warned: “The vaccine we have is probably as much as we can get this year.”
In recent weeks, Hong Kong politicians have suggested that the former British colony should consider shipping its unused doses overseas if no more Hong Kong people apply for vaccinations.
Typically, the Hong Kong government leaves it to various corporate companies to convince their employees to get vaccinated.
Earlier this year, the government announced that it was offering individual citizens HK$5,000 (€560) in consumer vouchers to boost the economy.
Some have suggested that vouchers for vaccination should be made a condition for receiving the vouchers, or that people should be encouraged to get vaccinated by offering them other cash grants.
However, Chief Executive Carrie Lam scoffed at the idea on Tuesday. She said, “Offering cash or something substantial to entice people to get vaccinated should not be done by the government. This is likely to have the opposite effect of what was intended.”
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