Author Archives: hksar gov

     Children aged from 6 months to 3 years may receive the Sinovac vaccine starting from today (August 4). The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, visited a kindergarten-cum-child care centre in To Kwa Wan today to view the vaccination of children and appealed to parents to arrange COVID-19 vaccination for their children as soon as possible.
 
     The kindergarten-cum-child care centre is the first premises having children vaccinated through outreach service after the lowering of the minimum age for receiving the Sinovac vaccine to 6 months old.
 
     She then visited a Community Vaccination Centre (CVC) in Kwun Tong, where about 15 children aged under 3 years old received COVID-19 vaccination.

     Mrs Yeung said that the Government will continue to increase the number of vaccination venues to facilitate the early vaccination of the public. Maternal and Child Health Centres under the Department of Health are also preparing to provide the Sinovac vaccination service to children aged from 6 months to 3 years when they receive regular services with bookings, e.g. the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme, from mid-August.
 
     She added that, in order to let children receive vaccination in a more relaxing environment, five CVCs providing the Sinovac vaccine have retrofitted some vaccination booths specifically for children and decorated them with stickers of animal cartoons. Breastfeeding areas and areas for changing diapers have also been set up for use by parents in need.
 
     Parents or guardians can also make appointments for their children to receive the Sinovac vaccine at CVCs or designated general out-patient clinics of the Hospital Authority through the online booking system (booking.covidvaccine.gov.hk). Parents can also opt for making reservation for free Sinovac vaccination through more than 1 000 private doctors or clinics that participate in the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.
 
     Parents are required to present the original copy of their children’s birth certificate and bring along a consent form signed by the parents on the date of vaccination of the children. The consent form can be downloaded from the designated website of the Vaccination Programme (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/pdf/Consent_Form_for_COVID19_Vaccination_ENG.pdf). The children must be accompanied by their parents/guardians in person when receiving vaccination.
 
     The designated website for the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/programme) provides the latest information including details on vaccination venues, reservation and enquiry hotlines.

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     The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) today (August 4) said that the Political Assistant to the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Julian Ip, has tested preliminarily positive for COVID-19.  … read more

     The Government announced today (August 4) that in order to fight the coronavirus epidemic, the Environmental Protection Department and the Drainage Services Department have been collecting sewage samples for virus testing in all districts, and had detected positive results in some areas, indicating that there may be hidden cases in the premises within these areas.
 
Rapid test
 
     As regards positive sewage testing results with relatively high viral loads in the following areas, the Housing Department and the respective District Offices will commence distributing about 110 000 sets of the COVID-19 rapid antigen test (RAT) kits to residents, cleaning workers and property management staff working in the following areas for them to take the test on their own, in order to help identify infected persons:
                                  

• Central and Western District – Queen’s Terrace, and residential premises around Queen’s Road West, New Street and Chuk Lin Lane (see Annex)
• Kowloon City District – Oi Man Estate, Chun Man Court, Dragon View, Parc Regal, Lok Man Sun Chuen, and residential premises around Kiang Hsi Street and Anhui Street (see Annex)

 
     Members of the public may refer to (www.coronavirus.gov.hk/rat/eng/rat.html) for enquiries relating to the use of the RAT kits.
 
     When using an RAT kit, please pay attention to and follow the instructions from the manufacturer to perform the test and read the result properly. It is advisable to record the displayed result by taking a photo immediately after reading. Users should wash their hands before and after performing the tests, and avoid placing non-essential items within the specimen collection area. After completing the test, wrap and seal all components of the test kit carefully and dispose of them properly. If the household environment is contaminated during the specimen collecting process, disinfection should be conducted with 1 in 49 diluted bleach solution or 70 per cent alcohol.
 
     People who obtained a positive result through an RAT for the first time can report via the online platform “Declaration System for individuals tested positive for COVID-19 using Rapid Antigen Test” (www.chp.gov.hk/ratp). If individuals encounter difficulties using the online platform, they can call the automated system at 183 6119 to register their identification document and telephone number. The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health will contact the relevant person later to finish the report procedure. read more

Attention TV/radio announcers:   Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:        As the Hong Kong Observatory has cancelled all typhoon warning signals, the Civil Engineering and Development Department today (Aug… read more

     â€‹Hong Kong Customs detected three large-scale illicit cigarette smuggling cases from July 23 to 26 and seized a total of about 57 million suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $160 million and a duty potential of about $110 million in Fanling, Yuen Long, Tuen Mun and Tsing Yi.

     During an anti-illicit cigarette operation conducted in Ping Che, Fanling, on July 23, Customs officers seized about 11 million suspected illicit cigarettes inside a 40-foot container at a metal hut.

     After a follow-up investigation, Customs officers searched a container yard in Yuen Long, a car park in Tuen Mun and two car parks in Tsing Yi on July 25 and 26. Four 40-foot containers and a 20-foot container were discovered to have concealed suspected illicit cigarettes inside. The total seizure amount was about 46 million.

     During the operation, Customs officers arrested two men suspected to be connected with the cases who are aged 35 and 36. Six containers suspected to be involved in the cases were also detained.

     An investigation is ongoing. Customs will continue to trace the source and the flow of the illicit cigarettes. The likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out.

     Including the suspected illicit cigarettes seized in this operation, Customs has seized about 334 million suspected illicit cigarettes this year as at July 31, an increase of about 37 per cent compared to the figure for the same period last year.

     Customs will continue its risk assessment and intelligence analysis for interception at source as well as through its multi-pronged enforcement strategy targeting storage, distribution and peddling to spare no effort in combating illicit cigarette activities.

     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

     Customs reminds members of the public that it is an offence to buy or sell illicit cigarettes. Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

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