COVID-19 vaccination services of DH’s elderly health centres to expand

     To assist and encourage the elderly to receive COVID-19 vaccines, the Department of Health (DH) today (July 30) announced that its Elderly Health Centres (EHCs) will expand its COVID-19 vaccination services to provide Sinovac walk-in vaccination for persons aged 65 or above.
 
     Starting from August 9 and up till September 30, three EHCs (Lam Tin EHC, Kwai Shing EHC and Tseung Kwan O EHC) will provide COVID-19 vaccination walk-in services (no prior booking is required) to all elderly persons aged 65 or above in the following time slots:
 
Monday to Friday: 9am to 12.15pm and 2pm to 4.45pm (except public holidays).
 
     Meanwhile, all EHCs are currently providing COVID-19 vaccination services for their members aged 65 or above on the day of consultation. Starting from August 2, all of these 18 EHCs will further provide COVID-19 vaccination walk-in services for their members without prior booking in the following time slots:
 
Monday to Friday: 11am to noon and 3.30pm to 4.30pm (except public holidays).
 
     The elderly persons need to present their Hong Kong identity cards for registration on a first-come, first-served basis until the daily quota is full. For those receiving the first dose of vaccination, the healthcare personnel at the EHCs will help arrange the date and time for the second dose.
 
     "According to the latest recommendation on COVID-19 vaccination by the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases and the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases under the Centre for Health Protection of the DH and the Chief Executive's expert advisory panel, the elderly are the group with the highest risks of complications and death from COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccines are highly recommended for the elderly for protection against infection. Experts recommend that all elderly people who have previously received influenza vaccines can safely receive COVID-19 vaccines. If the elderly have chronic diseases, they should get vaccinated as soon as possible for protection when their condition is stable," a spokesman for the DH said.

　　For enquiries, please contact the EHCs concerned during service hours. Details are also available at www.elderly.gov.hk/eindex.html.
 
     Separately, since yesterday (July 29), same-day tickets are being distributed daily at 24 Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs) (except those run by private hospitals) under the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme to persons aged 70 or above who have not made any prior booking so that they can receive COVID-19 vaccination in a CVC at a designated time slot on the day of distribution. For details, please visit the designated website of the Vaccination Programme (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk).
 
     Members of the public can also make reservations through the online booking system on the designated website for receiving vaccines at 29 CVCs and 26 general out-patient clinics of the Hospital Authority. They can also make appointments for vaccination with private doctors or clinics participating in the programme.