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Coronavirus: new single-jab guidance for Hong Kong youth will open door for more face-to-face school classes
- Professor Lau Yu-lung says government can begin recognising pupils as fully vaccinated after just one jab, making 70 per cent inoculation target easier to hit
- City confirms no new Covid-19 cases for first time in two weeks
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More Hong Kong pupils will be able to go back to school after education authorities on Thursday adopted new guidance on Covid-19 jabs.
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The government’s scientific advisers recommended on Wednesday that adolescents take just one dose of coronavirus vaccine, bringing the 70 per cent inoculation rate required for full-day, in-person classes within easier reach.
Professor Lau Yu-lung, chairman of the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases, which is behind the recommendation, on Thursday predicted a more widespread return to school as health authorities began giving new guidance to teenagers arriving at inoculation centres for their second jabs.
“The decision has balanced the benefits and risks of vaccination,” Lau said, referring to the advice that adolescents aged 12 to 17 should now receive just one dose of the BioNTech vaccine to reduce the chance of heart inflammation following inoculation for that age group.
Hong Kong confirmed that there were no new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, leaving the official tally at 12,149 infections, with 213 related deaths. The city last reported zero infections two weeks ago on September 2.
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