The Department of Health (DH) today (December 3) announced that clinics under the DH and the Hospital Authority (HA) have fully resumed vaccination service of seasonal influenza vaccines (SIVs). Those eligible are reminded to receive vaccination early to better prepare for the winter influenza season.
A spokesman for the DH said, "SIV is one of the safe and effective ways of preventing seasonal influenza and its complications. As it is already December and Hong Kong will soon enter the winter influenza season, members of the public, particularly those in high-risk groups, are urged to receive vaccination as soon as possible for protection against seasonal influenza as it takes about two weeks to develop antibodies."
Following the suspension of the use of a batch of quadrivalent SIVs (box label: R3J721V; syringe label: R3J72) last week, stocks at public clinics have all been replenished with other unaffected batches of influenza vaccines.
Meanwhile, the Government Laboratory's testing of vaccine samples of the affected batch and other batches of SIVs from the same supplier revealed that no foreign matter was found. The DH last week also inspected close to 2 100 samples (about 1 300 samples from the affected batch and about 800 samples from other batches) of quadrivalent SIVs and the inspection result revealed that no particles were detected.
For information on medical organisations that have used the affected batch of vaccines, including the list of clinics under the DH and the HA as well as other healthcare facilities, please visit the website of the Centre for Health Protection (www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/101125.html).
For enquiries, the public may call the DH's hotline (2125 1133) or the HA's hotline (2300 6028) during office hours from Monday to Friday.
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