Elite athletes get vaccinated against COVID-19 (with photos)

     The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, together with the Chairman of the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI), Dr Lam Tai-fai, visited the HKSI today (April 8) to view the administering of a COVID-19 vaccine for athletes and coaches and to give encouragement to them.
 
     At the invitation of the HKSI, the Government has arranged Sinovac and BioNTech vaccinations for full-time athletes, coaches and relevant personnel of the HKSI since late March.
 
     "Athletes often need to participate in overseas training and competitions. However, the overseas situation of the COVID-19 outbreak has remained serious. Three local karatedo athletes were confirmed as being infected with the virus last year. Therefore, it is very important for athletes to get vaccinated. Having discussed with the HKSI Chairman, we made this special vaccination arrangement for athletes," Mr Nip said.
 
     "Getting vaccinated can protect the health of athletes, enabling them to concentrate on their training and competitions. I hope they will strive for good results for Hong Kong and for themselves in upcoming international competitions.
 
     "Many vaccine recipients today are elite athletes whose physical fitness and health conditions are better than those of ordinary people, and yet they fully understand the advantages of getting vaccinated. They show us that even young and healthy people should also get vaccinated against COVID-19. Members of the public should grasp the opportunity and act immediately to make appointments for vaccination."
 
     Mr Nip expressed his gratitude to the medical team of the Community Vaccination Centre (CVC) at the CUHK Medical Centre for administering the BioNTech vaccine for athletes today, as well as the medical team of the CVC at Yuen Wo Road Sports Centre for administering the Sinovac vaccine for athletes on March 25.
 
     At present, people aged 30 or above and people belonging to the priority groups can make reservations to get vaccinated. People belonging to the priority groups can make reservations through the online booking system on the designated website of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk) for receiving vaccines at the CVCs and the 18 general out-patient clinics of the Hospital Authority. They can also make appointments for vaccination with private doctors or clinics participating in the programme.
 
     Members of the public can search for information about all vaccination venues through the GeoInfo Map (www.map.gov.hk/gm/map/s/m/communityvaccinationservicesofcovid-19?lg=en) and the Interactive Map Dashboard of COVID-19 (chp-dashboard.geodata.gov.hk/covid-19/en.html) on the designated website.