Overall first-dose COVID-19 vaccination rate of RCHEs and RCHDs rises to 84 per cent (with photos/video)

     Under the third stage of the outreach vaccination arrangement for residential care homes (RCHs), outreach vaccination has been arranged for residents of about 1 100 RCHs for the elderly (RCHEs) and RCHs for persons with disabilities (RCHDs) who are suitable for COVID-19 vaccination, largely achieving a comprehensive vaccination coverage. Currently, the overall vaccination rate for the first dose at RCHs has risen to 84 per cent.
      
     The Government launched the third stage of outreach vaccination service on April 15 and set the target of providing outreach vaccination service to unvaccinated RCH residents who have recovered from COVID-19, and those who are due to receive the next vaccine dose after their first or second dose, by yesterday (May 10). With efforts of various parties, the overall first-dose vaccination rate at RCHs based on the total number of RCH residents has risen from 55 per cent in mid-March to 84 per cent as at yesterday, with the rate at RCHEs standing at 82 per cent and the rate at RCHDs at 89 per cent. The overall vaccination rates for the second and third doses at RCHs are 56 per cent and 14 per cent respectively.
      
     The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, today (May 11) visited a nursing home in Wong Tai Sin to give encouragement to the residents receiving COVID-19 vaccination. He said, "In the past three stages of outreach operations, the outreach teams, with a spirit of determination, paid a total of 4 347 visits to RCHs to provide COVID-19 vaccination service. The vaccination rate achieved today is indeed the fruit borne by the unrelenting efforts of all participating staff as well as the public and private healthcare teams.
      
     "In early April, about 10 per cent of RCH residents had yet to receive COVID-19 vaccination due to their refusal or objections from their family members. The figure has now been reduced to 5.8 per cent. Under the epidemic, the elderly and residents of RCHEs and RCHDs are the group most vulnerable and most in need of the protection conferred by the vaccines. I hope that everyone who cares about the elderly would recognise unambiguously the risk of death faced by the elderly after infection, and the efficacy of vaccines."
      
     Since the outbreak of the fifth wave of the epidemic, there are confirmed cases at various RCHs. To enable suitable RCH residents to receive vaccination as soon as possible, the Government has enhanced the co-ordination of outreach COVID-19 vaccination at RCHs by liaising with RCHs, healthcare teams and relevant departments, and mobilising the healthcare sector for assistance. A total of 16 outreach teams have been set up to provide health assessments and vaccination to residents of RCHEs and RCHDs as early as possible. They include teams comprised of staff from private doctor organisations and the Department of Health (DH), as well as over 200 visiting medical officers, involving a total of over 700 healthcare personnel.
      
     In addition, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) has set up a database to consolidate the vaccination records and information of infections of RCH residents from the DH, as well as other RCH-related information held by the SWD, in order to grasp more accurately the situation of vaccination at RCHs to facilitate the administration of vaccines by the outreach teams and the assessments on the epidemic trends, risks and the counter measures of individual RCHs and the sector as a whole, thereby putting in place an effective pre-warning and monitoring system to cope with the potential sixth wave of the epidemic.
      
     The first-dose vaccination rates of RCHEs and RCHDs in the three stages are as follows:
     

 
     The relevant government departments will maintain close co-ordination and follow up on the progress of the COVID-19 vaccination at RCHEs and RCHDs to prevent or minimise outbreaks at RCHs.