Coronavirus: Hong Kong elderly urged to start getting fourth Covid jab immediately as city begins voluntary mass testing exercise; 2,492 cases reported

Civil service minister Patrick Nip says older residents who received their third dose at least three months ago can simply walk into vaccination venues to get their fourth doses from Friday

Centre for Health Protection says it has been receiving new reports of infections on Friday, the first day of the voluntary mass testing exercise

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People show up to receive Sinovac Covid-19 jabs at a community vaccination centre in Tsing Yi. Photo: May Tse

Elizabeth Cheung,Gigi ChoyandSammy Heung

Published: 12:33pm, 8 Apr 2022Updated: 9:32pm, 8 Apr 2022

Hongkongers aged 60 and up could start immediately receiving fourth doses of Covid-19 vaccines, a senior official said, as the city on Friday began a three-day voluntary mass screening exercise using rapid antigen test kits.

Civil service minister Patrick Nip Tak-kuen, who oversees the city’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign, said that elderly residents who had received their third dose at least three months ago could start walking into community vaccination centres and inoculation stations at public hospitals to get their fourth doses from Friday, without needing to book ahead.

For those who prefer to book in advance, the government’s online system will begin accepting fourth-dose appointments starting next Thursday. Nip said there were currently around 190,000 people aged 60 or up who were eligible for the fourth dose.

Hong Kong on Friday confirmed 2,492 new Covid-19 infections, the third day the number of fresh cases fell below 3,000. Of the latest cases, just eight were imported.

Health officials also reported 86 Covid-19-linked deaths, including 15 that occurred earlier but were only just recorded due to backlog.

The city’s overall tally since the pandemic began stands at 1,185,727 cases, with 8,643 fatalities.

While residents were urged to test themselves daily to provide authorities with a snapshot of the pandemic situation in the city, the exercise faced hurdles amid scepticism over its effectiveness. Many among the elderly were also unsure how to use the government’s online self-reporting platform.