Elderly Hongkongers can apply for Covid XBB jabs starting on Wednesday, new batch to arrive ‘soon’
- Elderly residents can go to community vaccination stations run by private clinics or designated general outpatient clinics under Hospital Authority
- First batch of XBB-targeted vaccines from BioNTech and Pfizer arrived in November, with fresh order from Moderna expected to arrive soon
Hongkongers aged 65 or older can start booking appointments for the Covid-19 vaccine targeting the XBB variant from Wednesday, while a fresh batch of jabs from another brand is expected to arrive “soon”, health authorities have said.
The announcement on Tuesday followed recommendations made by the government’s medical advisers, who said in October that the XBB-targeted mRNA vaccines could provide better protection than earlier shots and high-risk groups should be prioritised.
Starting from Wednesday 9am, elderly residents can secure a slot for the XBB vaccine through the government’s online booking system for Thursday onwards.
They can go to community vaccination stations run by private clinics or designated general outpatient clinics under the Hospital Authority.
Designated specialist outpatient clinics and Elderly Health Centres in the public sector will also start providing the XBB vaccine from Thursday.
Residents staying in care homes for the elderly and people with disabilities will also be offered vaccinations through outreach services under the government programme.
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Residents in high-risk groups can receive an additional Covid-19 vaccine booster for free if it has been at least six months since their last vaccination or recovery from Covid-19 infection.
Regarding how the two brands of vaccines would be dispensed, the government said it would follow the precedent for inoculations involving more than one brand.
In a press release, authorities cited the flu vaccine arrangement as an example saying they would “assess the remaining shelf life to supply different types of XBB mRNA vaccines, which is in accordance with vaccination arrangements for general vaccines”.
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A spokesman from the Department of Health told the Post that if an eligible person chose to receive an mRNA vaccine, he or she would be vaccinated with “the type supplied to the clinic without choice”.
During the second phase, eligibility would be extended to other high-risk priority groups, including people aged 50 to 64, adults aged 18 to 49 with chronic diseases, people aged six months or above with immunocompromising conditions, pregnant women and healthcare workers.
“The government will closely monitor the demand for XBB vaccines and launch the second phase at appropriate times,” authorities said.
Separately, private healthcare provider Virtus Medical started to offer XBB vaccinations on Tuesday. The first recipient at the clinic was a 94-year-old woman, who only gave her surname Au Yeung.
According to the group website, any adult can receive the vaccine at the clinic, which charges HK$1,880 (US$241) per dose.
Latest statistics from the Centre for Health Protection showed that XBB and its descendant lineages continued to be the most prevalent variant, contributing to about 90 per cent of Covid-19 cases in the city.
The variant was also found in all the 68 specimens collected from severe and fatal Covid-19 cases in the month following late October.
While the city’s Covid-19 situation remained stable, officials warned on Tuesday that the number of cases might be higher in winter when flu infection also peaked.
They urged the public to receive both Covid-19 and flu vaccines to guard against a possible surge of the two infections, which could occur at the same time.
