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Wellness
Hong KongHealth & Environment

Pilot scheme for free flu jabs at primary schools to become regular programme after successfully raising vaccination rate, Hong Kong’s health chief Sophia Chan says

  • Department of Health scheme to provide shots has pushed up vaccination rate to about 55 per cent among primary pupils
  • Programme will be extended to cover some 1,000 kindergartens and childcare centres as pilot scheme

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The number of primary schools that arranged for vaccinations on their premises jumped to 402 in 2018-19, from 65 the previous year, the health chief said. Photo: Felix Wong
Emily TsangandElizabeth Cheung

A pilot scheme to give free flu jabs to primary pupils at school will become regular service in the coming academic year to protect against seasonal influenza, which hits the city once or twice annually, the health minister has announced.

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The Department of Health’s scheme to provide jabs near the beginning of the school year had been successful in pushing up the vaccination rate to about 55 per cent among primary pupils, Secretary for Food and Health Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee told the Legislative Council on Wednesday.

Chan said the pilot scheme would also be extended to cover some 1,000 kindergartens and childcare centres, with more details to be announced by the department in due course.
Sophia Chan says the pilot programme has been effective. Photo: Sam Tsang
Sophia Chan says the pilot programme has been effective. Photo: Sam Tsang

But a leading microbiologist said the target for the vaccine coverage rate should be set at 70 per cent to stop the spread of the flu virus more effectively.

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For many schools, this week marked the end of a long Lunar New Year holiday, which the government had brought forward early this month to curb the spread of the virus.
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