• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
    • Volunteer
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

Hong Kong and South Korea start coronavirus vaccination drives

by The Online Citizen
26/02/2021
in Asia, Health
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Hong Kong and South Korea start coronavirus vaccination drives

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (R) watches a nursing home worker (L) receiving the first dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at a health care centre in Seoul on 26 February 2021/AFP/Yonhap.

Hong Kong and South Korea kicked off coronavirus vaccination drives on Friday, as momentum builds for inoculation rollouts across the Asia-Pacific region.

South Korea plans to inoculate 70 percent of its population within seven months while Hong Kong aims to vaccinate all adults by the end of the year.

Both places were among the first to experience coronavirus outbreaks after the coronavirus spread from central China early last year.

But they kept infections comparatively low thanks to strict quarantine measures for arrivals, widely adhered to social distancing measures and effective trace and test programmes.

These latest campaigns come after New Zealand and Australia launched their COVID-19 inoculations over the weekend.

While the United States and Europe have rapidly vaccinated millions against COVID-19, many places in the Asia-Pacific that have battled the pandemic comparatively well have taken a slower approach to administering the jabs.

Though China has so far given the second-highest number of doses in the world at over 40 million, it fell short of its goal to vaccinate 50 million before mid-February.

In Japan, health experts fear a history of vaccine controversies may lead to hesitancy when coronavirus shots become widely available there.

In a bid to boost public confidence, South Korea televised the first shot given at a public health centre in Seoul on Friday morning, with President Moon Jae-in looking on.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun urged all citizens to take the jabs: “Let us all take every step forward to return to those days that we miss.”

Chinese vaccine

In Hong Kong, jabs were first given to members of the public on Friday. But officials may face an uphill task persuading residents to take the Chinese-made SinoVac vaccines in a city where public distrust of Beijing runs deep.

City regulators fast-tracked approval for Sinovac jabs last week despite comparatively low efficacy and limited published data. The first million shots were sent by mainland China a day later.

Unlike rival vaccines, Sinovac has yet to submit its third-phase clinical trial data to medical journals for peer review.

Data given out by the company so far suggests a lower efficacy rate of between 50-62 percent.

But demand so far has been strong in Hong Kong, where some 70,000 people have booked all currently available appointments for the injections.

“I’m not worried,” one elderly lady told reporters outside a vaccination centre on Friday morning.

“I have absolute confidence in the products of our mother country.”

Hong Kong’s government says it has pre-ordered 22.5 million vaccines for the city of 7.5 million from three companies: Sinovac, BioNTech and AstraZeneca.

A shipment of BioNTech vaccines was earmarked to arrive on Thursday but officials said it had been delayed.

The rollouts in South Korea and Hong Kong come more than two months after Britain launched the first mass vaccination programme in the West using a fully trialled COVID-19 vaccine, with more than 220 million vaccine doses now administered globally.

Hopes are high that the inoculations will allow the world to finally emerge from a pandemic that has killed more than 2.4 million, infected 112 million and hammered the global economy.

– AFP

For just US$7.50 a month, sign up as a subscriber on The Online Citizen Asia (and enjoy ads-free experience on our site) to support our mission to transform TOC into an alternative mainstream press.
Source: AFP
Tags: AFPCOVID-19Hong KongSouth Korea

Related Posts

US businesses ‘fear internet curbs in Hong Kong’
AFP

Hong Kong offers free flights after COVID isolation

02/02/2023
US tells vaccinated people in high COVID risk areas to mask again
AFP

White House says US COVID emergency status to end 11 May

31/01/2023
WHO panel in talks on COVID emergency status
AFP

WHO panel in talks on COVID emergency status

27/01/2023
Zero-COVID left in dust as Chinese revellers fuel travel boom
AFP

Zero-COVID left in dust as Chinese revellers fuel travel boom

19/01/2023
China ends quarantine for overseas travellers after years of self-imposed isolation
AFP

China back to ‘normal’ after end of COVID curbs: official

17/01/2023
UK health firm estimates 9,000 COVID deaths in China per day but Chinese govt says only 10 since 7 Dec
AFP

‘Not necessary’ to dwell on COVID death tally, Chinese experts say

11/01/2023
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
Connect withD
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Latest posts

Malaysia High Court dismissed DPM Zahid’s application to get passport returned permanently

Malaysia High Court dismissed DPM Zahid’s application to get passport returned permanently

03/02/2023
Why is Gautam Adani’s Indian empire in turmoil?

Adani turmoil a key test for Modi’s India Inc

03/02/2023
Kajang cops chided for denying woman access to police HQ because she was wearing shorts

Kajang cops chided for denying woman access to police HQ because she was wearing shorts

03/02/2023
Adani’s brother runs SG company and registers as director with local ID

Adani’s brother runs SG company and registers as director with local ID

03/02/2023
Minister Tan See Leng only reveals 500 intra-corporate transferees from India for last year – a Covid year

Increasing number of working Permanent Residents in Singapore but with a stable PR population

03/02/2023

A multi-party parliament is the only way to make sure that Singapore continues to not condone or tolerate corruption

03/02/2023
Anwar criticised over appointing own daughter as his senior advisor

Anwar criticised over appointing own daughter as his senior advisor

03/02/2023
Level of unemployment in Indonesia shows failure in the Job Creation Law, says KSPI

Level of unemployment in Indonesia shows failure in the Job Creation Law, says KSPI

02/02/2023

Trending posts

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

by Yee Loon
30/01/2023
25

...

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

by Yee Loon
26/01/2023
24

...

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation

by Augustine Low
01/02/2023
36

...

Two Indian nationals paid about S$330 and S$730 respectively for forged certificates submitted in their S-Pass application

MOM found issuing EPs meant for foreign PMETs to PRC waitress and general worker

by Correspondent
26/01/2023
41

...

Singapore warns slower economic growth in 2023

Less than 1 in 10 jobs created in first three quarters of 2022 went to Singaporeans?

by Leong Szehian
28/01/2023
69

...

Excessively charging for an essential need, and calling it affordable because people still can pay for it?

by Terry Xu
31/01/2023
39

...

February 2021
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
« Jan   Mar »

The Online Citizen is a regional online publication based in Taiwan and formerly Singapore’s longest-running independent online media platform.

Navigation

  • Editorial
  • Commentaries
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Community

Support

  • Contact Us
  • Letter submission
  • Membership subscription

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Fact Checking Policy
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

wpDiscuz