The first batch of 1 million doses of the Comirnaty vaccine, jointly developed by Fosun Pharma and BioNTech, will be delivered to Hong Kong by two flights from Germany. A total of 585 000 doses of the vaccine has arrived in Hong Kong today (February 27) and the remaining doses will be transported to Hong Kong in early March.
The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, and the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, went to the airport today to inspect the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine in Hong Kong.
After the arrival of the Comirnaty vaccine, staff carried out stringent checking and inspection of the vaccine to ensure that it complies with the product specifications and that the transportation process follows the relevant cold-chain requirements. As the vaccine has to be stored in a freezer at a temperature of -70 degrees Celsius, the Government has made appropriate arrangements, including placing the vaccines in designated storage facility and keeping all the vaccines in validated freezers to ensure the proper storage condition of the vaccines in accordance with the temperature indicated by the drug manufacturer.
A Government spokesman said, "Following the arrival of the Comirnaty vaccine, we will open the online booking system next week for the public to make appointments to receive the Comirnaty vaccine. Detailed arrangements will be announced at a suitable time.
"As the Comirnaty vaccine has stringent requirements for cold chain management and requires proper thawing procedures, to ensure the quality of the vaccines and that the vaccination procedures adhere to requirements, the Comirnaty vaccine will be administered at the Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs). The seven CVCs operated by the Hospital Authority will open first while other CVCs will come into operation gradually."
At present, the COVID-19 vaccines purchased in advance by the Government are the inactivated virus vaccine from Sinovac Biotech (Hong Kong) Limited, the nucleic acid vaccine from Fosun Pharma and BioNTech, and the viral vector vaccine from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. The purchase of vaccines from different vaccine technology platforms is aimed at diversifying risks and ensuring sufficient supplies of safe and efficacious vaccines for the whole of Hong Kong.
Comirnaty vaccine received authorisation for emergency use in Hong Kong after the Advisory Panel on COVID-19 Vaccines reviewed its clinical data, the overseas authorisation obtained, and other information relevant to the safety, efficacy and quality of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Members of the public may visit the designated website, www.covidvaccine.gov.hk, to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines and to make appointments for vaccination via the round-the-clock booking system.
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