COVID-19 vaccination walk-in service of DH’s Elderly Health Centres to expand starting next Monday (with photo)

     The Department of Health (DH) today (January 7) announced that three Elderly Health Centres (EHCs) will expand their COVID-19 vaccination service to provide walk-in vaccination with the CoronaVac vaccine for all persons aged 65 or above next Monday (January 10), in order to encourage and facilitate the elderly in receiving COVID-19 vaccination.  
 
     From January 10 to June 30, three EHCs (Lam Tin EHC, Sai Ying Pun 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).
 
     The above three EHCs will also provide health talks on COVID-19 vaccination at 11.15am and 3.15pm from Monday to Friday (except public holidays).

     Meanwhile, all the 18 EHCs are currently providing COVID-19 vaccination walk-in services for their members aged 65 or above 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.
 
     "The COVID-19 vaccination rate for the elderly aged 80 or above in Hong Kong is only around 23 per cent at present. The Comirnaty and CoronaVac vaccines are highly effective in preventing severe cases and deaths from SARS-CoV-2 virus. They can provide effective protection to those vaccinated in preventing serious complications and even death after infection. Under the spreading threat posed by mutant strains, people who are yet to receive vaccination, especially senior citizens, chronic patients and other immunocompromised persons who face a higher chance of death after COVID-19 infection, should get vaccinated as early as possible for self-protection and to reduce the risk of falling seriously ill and death should they get infected," a spokesman for the DH said.
 
     The Government has expanded the third dose COVID-19 vaccination programme since January 1 this year to include all people who have received two doses of vaccines for a period of time. Eligible elderly persons should also receive a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible to enhance personal protection.
 
     The spokesman reminded members of the public that they should take note of a minimum interval of 14 days between COVID-19 vaccination and any other vaccination (including seasonal influenza vaccination).

　　For enquiries, please contact the EHCs concerned during service hours. Details are also available at www.elderly.gov.hk/eindex.html.