The Children Community Vaccination Centres (CCVCs) at Hong Kong Children's Hospital in Kowloon Bay and Yuen Chau Kok Sports Centre in Sha Tin came into operation today (February 16) to provide the BioNTech vaccination service to children aged 5 to 11, while the HKU CCVC at Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong in Wong Chuk Hang will commence operation next Thursday (February 24).
The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, appealed to parents to make reservations for their children of appropriate ages to receive vaccination as soon as possible. "As the BioNTech vaccine for children requires a special dilution procedure, we have invited experienced medical teams from the Hospital Authority and the University of Hong Kong to operate the three CCVCs," he said.
"Mutant virus strains are spreading quickly in Hong Kong and children should also get vaccinated for protection. In fact, there are severe and death cases from COVID-19 involving children in this latest wave of the epidemic. Both COVID-19 vaccines available in Hong Kong are safe and effective. I encourage parents to learn more about the benefits of the vaccines so that they will feel at ease about letting their children get vaccinated. We are also planning to set up another Community Vaccination Centre dedicated for children, teenagers and elderly persons next week."
The CCVCs operate from 10am to 6pm from Monday to Friday and from 8am to 8pm on Saturdays and Sundays. All CCVCs close between 1.30pm and 2.30pm on working days for cleaning.
Children aged 5 to 11 cannot receive BioNTech vaccination in venues other than the CCVCs. The Government will provide a special appointment service for schools at the CCVCs and a transport service from and to schools. The Education Bureau has issued a letter to inform schools about the arrangements for receiving the vaccines.
Parents/guardians can make reservations for their children to receive BioNTech vaccination at the CCVCs through the designated website of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk). Children are required to bring along a consent form signed by their parents and must be accompanied by their parents/guardians in person on the date of vaccination. The consent form can be downloaded from the designated website of the Vaccination Programme (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/pdf/Consent_Form_for_Fractional_BioNTech_Vaccination_ENG.pdf).
Persons have to bring along the original identity documents on the date of vaccination. If the identity documents do not bear the child's photo, such as the birth certificate, then school documents (such as school handbooks) bearing a photo of the student must be presented at the time of vaccination.
Before making an appointment, one must take note of the minimum interval of 14 days between COVID-19 vaccination and any other vaccination (including seasonal influenza vaccination).
The minimum age for receiving the Sinovac vaccine is 3. The designated website of the Vaccination Programme (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/programme) provides the latest information of both vaccines including details on vaccination venues, reservation and enquiry hotlines.
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