Dear Staff and Students,
We would like to share the following message from Department of Health about Updated information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and vaccines.
Health, Safety and Environment Office
Dear Sir/Madam,
Updated information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and vaccines
1. COVID-19 Vaccination Programme opens to persons aged 16 or above
The Government announced that the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme will be expanded to cover persons aged 16 to 29. The minimum age for receiving the BioNTech vaccine is 16, and that for receiving the Sinovac vaccine is 18. Separately, the Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs) across the territory are expected to operate until the end of September. Persons in the above age group can make reservations starting from 9am on April 23 through the online booking system on the designated website of the Vaccination Programme for receiving vaccines at 29 CVCs and 18 general out-patient clinics of the Hospital Authority (HA). They can also make appointments for vaccinations with private doctors or clinics participating in the programme.
Moreover, taking into account the supply of the BioNTech vaccine, the vaccination rate and its limitations in storage, the CVCs administering the BioNTech vaccine are expected to operate until the end of September. People must make an appointment to receive the first dose of BioNTech vaccine by the end of August in order to complete the vaccination of two doses by the end of September for better protection from the vaccine.
For details, please refer to:
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/15/P2021041500565.htm
More information on COVID-19 vaccines:
www.covidvaccine.gov.hk
2. Ensure that the arrangement of the COVID-19 vaccination programme meets the requirements
System safeguard measures are in place in the existing online booking system and eHS(S) to ensure that the arrangement of the COVID-19 vaccination programme meets the requirements. The Department of Health (DH) will continue to communicate with participating doctors to ensure that vaccination services are provided in accordance with the guidelines. Enhancement to the system safeguard measures has also been made to support different scenarios of vaccine administration. Members of the public should report their medical and vaccination record accurately to healthcare professionals and adhere to recommendations and advice on COVID-19 vaccination given by them. The practice of mixed doses vaccination involves uncertainty and risk, and is still in the experimental stage, which should only be conducted under the supervision of healthcare professionals.
For details, please refer to:
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/18/P2021041800566.htm
3. Government invokes place-specific flight suspension mechanism & Enhancing the testing of persons returning to Hong Kong from overseas places
The Government implemented on April 14 the tightened flight-specific suspension mechanism, as well as the new place-specific flight suspension mechanism in parallel.
With confirmed cases involving the N501Y mutant strain detected for the first time in the community in Hong Kong, for prudence’s sake, the Government has applied the criteria of the newly implemented place-specific flight suspension mechanism retrospectively for 14 days on places where there had been imported cases confirmed by arrival tests that carried the N501Y mutant strain.
The place-specific suspension mechanism for India, Pakistan, and the Philippines will be effective for 14 days from midnight on April 20. Relevant restrictions will include the prohibition of passenger flights from these places from landing in Hong Kong, as well as specifying these three places as Group A specified places under Cap. 599H to restrict any person who have stayed in these places for more than two hours on the day of boarding or 21 days before that day from boarding for Hong Kong.
At the same time, to enhance the testing of persons returning to Hong Kong from overseas places, the Government is issuing a compulsory testing notice for persons who returned to Hong Kong from extremely high-risk places specified under Cap. 599H (that is the current Group A specified places). After completing the compulsory quarantine for 21 days as well as the testing on the 12th and 19th day during quarantine, these persons returning to Hong Kong will also need to self-monitor further for another seven days, and be subject to nucleic acid testing on the 26th day of their return to Hong Kong.
For details, please refer to:
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/18/P2021041800858.htm
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/18/P2021041800771.htm
Details on the grouping of specified places and their respective boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements can be found at:
www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/high-risk-places.html
We would like to solicit your support to disseminate the information to your colleagues, work associates and/or business partners so that they could adopt proper preventive measures. Thank you very much for your support.
Department of Health
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敬啟者：
2019冠狀病毒病及疫苗的最新資訊
1. 16歲或以上合資格人士可預約接種新冠疫苗
政府宣布擴大2019冠狀病毒病疫苗接種計劃涵蓋16歲至29歲的人士。接種復必泰疫苗的最低年齡是16歲，而接種科興疫苗的最低年齡是18歲。以上年齡組別的人士可以由四月二十三日上午九時開始在專題網站內的預約系統，預約到29間社區疫苗接種中心或18間醫院管理局普通科門診診所接種疫苗，或自行與參與疫苗接種計劃的私家醫生或診所預約。
此外，考慮到復必泰疫苗的供應情況，接種率及其在保存方面的局限，政府計劃安排社區疫苗接種中心運作至九月底。市民須預約在八月底前接種第一劑復必泰疫苗，才能在九月底完成接種兩劑疫苗，得到疫苗的保護功效。
詳情可參閱：
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/15/P2021041500472.htm
更多新冠疫苗資訊：
www.covidvaccine.gov.hk
2. 確保疫苗接種的安排符合要求
現行的網上預約及醫健通（資助）系統已經設有機制，以確保疫苗接種的安排符合要求。衞生署會繼續與參與計劃的私家醫生聯繫，確保私家醫生為應診人士提供符合指引的疫苗接種服務，亦已加強系統的管理措施，以支援不同場境的疫苗接種工作。市民應向醫護人員提供準確的醫療和疫苗接種紀錄，並聽從醫護人員就新冠疫苗接種作出的建議。而接種混合疫苗的做法存在不確定性，亦涉及一定風險，仍在試驗階段，須在醫護人員的監督下進行。
詳情可參閱：
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/18/P2021041800561.htm
3. 政府實施地區性航班「熔斷機制」及 加強從海外地區回港人士的檢測
政府在四月十四日開始實施經收緊的個別航班「熔斷機制」，並同時實施新設並行的地區性航班「熔斷機制」。
由於香港首次在社區發現涉及N501Y變種病毒株的確診個案，為審慎起見，政府按剛落實的地區性航班『熔斷機制』所設的指標，追溯過去14天從不同地區經抵港檢測而確診帶有N501Y變種病毒株的輸入個案。
就印度、巴基斯坦及菲律賓實施的「熔斷機制」由四月二十日零時零分開始生效，為期14天。相關限制包括禁止所有從該些地區來港的民航客機着陸香港，以及將該三個地區指明為第599H章下的A組指明地區，限制任何在登機當天或當天之前21天曾經在該地區逗留超過兩小時的人士登機來港。
與此同時，為了加強從海外地區回港人士的檢測，政府就從第599H章下的極高風險地區（即目前的A組指明地區）回港人士發出強制檢測公告，要求相關回港人士即使在完成21天強制檢疫以及檢疫期間的第12天和第19天檢測後，仍需要進一步自我監察七天，並在回港第26天接受核酸檢測。
詳情可參閱：
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/18/P2021041800807.htm
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/18/P2021041800768.htm
就相關指明地區分組和相應的登機及強制檢疫要求的詳情，可參閱：
https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/chi/high-risk-places.html
希望你可以將有關資訊與你的同事、合作者及／或業務伙伴分享，讓他們都能採取合適的預防措施。非常感謝你的支持。
衞生署
