By The SUN
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| Experts say a 4th vaccine dose will give better protection to the elderly |
Experts who advise the
The recommendation was published today by the two scientific committees under the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, following their online meeting last night.
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They reached their consensus after noting that the majority of the fatalities in the fifth wave of the pandemic were aged 60 years old and up.
Among all adults, local data showed that three doses of Covid-19 vaccines, whether from Sinovac or BioNTech, have been highly effective in reducing hospitalizations and death.
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Elderly people who had Covid-19 can also receive a new dose three months after recovery.
But for all recovered patients without a history of vaccination, they can receive their first dose one month after recovery, instead of the previous three months.
The experts also said that immunocompromised children and adolescents who had the BioNTech vaccine before testing positive for Covid-19, could have their next dose no less than 28 days after recovery if they require this for personal reasons, like for study abroad.
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Further, those who are unsure if they had been infected with coronavirus should be given vaccination, as all vaccines have been deemed safe even for recovered patients. In line with this, no prior screening for Covid-19 victims for vaccination is necessary.
Another new measure approved by the experts panel is to allow Covid-19 vaccines to be given at the same time as a flu jab or other immunization vaccines for children or elderly residents in care homes if there is informed consent.
This is being done “for administrative convenience and achieving better coverage,” said the experts.
Previously, one needed to wait for at least three months after getting a flu jab to be eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine.
Another new recommendation is for those who were vaccinated out
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side
For those who received vaccines not on the government-approved
list, they are advised to start over with vaccines available in
The experts also noted the development of new Covid-19 vaccines, including those that offer protection against Omicron and its new sub-variants, and said they would keep an eye on them.
Details of the interim recommendations that have been passed on to the government for adoption are available at the CHP's website www.chp.gov.hk/en/static/24008.html.
