A student from Christian Nationals' Evangelism Commission Lau Wing Sang Secondary School in Hong Kong receives a Covid-19 vaccine at a community vaccination center at Queen Elizabeth Stadium on July 14, 2021. - Photo: HKSAR Govt file
HONG KONG: Surveillance indicators, including respiratory specimen detection rate and viral load from sewage surveillance, marked an increase in Covid-19 activity in Hong Kong in the past few weeks, prompting government health advisers to call for boosting vaccination, especially for the high-risk priority groups.
The Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases and the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases under the Centre for Health Protection made the call after a meeting on Tuesday (July 16).
Despite a rise in Covid activity, the number of severe and fatal cases remained stable, the committee noted while reviewing the local Covid-19 situation.
Under the prevailing arrangements, the advisers recommended a booster dose at least six months after the last dose or Covid-19 infection, regardless of the number of doses received previously, for high-risk priority groups for enhanced protection.
These groups include people aged 50 or above including those living in residential care homes; persons aged 18 to 49 years with underlying comorbidities, persons with immunocompromising conditions aged six months and above, pregnant women, and healthcare workers.
According to experts, JN.1, together with its descendant lineages, remained the predominant circulating strains in Hong Kong, though there was no information suggesting JN.1 would cause more severe disease, the government said in a notification.
The government advisers recommended that JN.1 lineage vaccine, when available in Hong Kong, should be used for appropriate persons.
“Experts reiterated that currently available Covid-19 vaccines, including inactivated virus and mRNA vaccines, remain effective in reducing severe Covid-19 infection and death,” reads the notification.
Pointing out that the majority of the population had acquired some immunity against Covid-19 during the pandemic, the government advisers recommended simplifying the initial vaccination arrangements.
“Experts recommended that a person who has never received Covid-19 vaccine is considered to have completed initial vaccination by receiving one dose of mRNA Covid-19 vaccine or two doses of inactivated vaccine, instead of the three initial doses previously recommended.”
Reviewing the local measles situation the same day, the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases said studies conducted by the Department of Health from 2022 to 2024 showed that the measles antibody level across all ages and specific groups attained a level of 95 percent or above.
As such, experts reaffirmed the recommendation for measles vaccination for non-immune adults. - China Daily/ANN
