HK secures 7.5m vaccine doses from AstraZeneca

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong government has secured 7.5 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine co-developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said Wednesday.

Lam said in a press conference that the government is also looking for a fourth manufacturer that could provide more vaccines.

The government earlier secured a total of 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Sinovac Biotech and BioNTech.

Lam made the announcement after a special Executive Council meeting which also introduced new legislation that allows the emergency use of vaccines.

The legislation took effect on Wednesday and will last for a year, empowering the city's health chief to push ahead with vaccination plans without complex registration procedures.

Lam said residents will be notified of the types of vaccine available before they get injected, which means people could choose to schedule innoculation as and when their preferred type of vaccine is available.

The government also planned to set aside funds to help people who suffer side effects, if any, from vaccination, Lam said.

She added that an electronic certificate will be sent to the mobile phone of each person vaccinated for ease of future cross-boundary travel.