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Friday marked the 106th day since the launch of the vaccination drive, but take-up has remained sluggish, with only about 15 per cent of residents fully vaccinated.
Dr Mike Kwan Yat-wah, a consultant at Princess Margaret Hospital’s department of paediatrics and adolescent medicine, told a radio programme on Friday that even teenagers with various allergies, such as to food and antibiotics, were suitable for vaccination. He added, however, that those with an abnormally low level of blood platelets or anyone taking blood thinners should consult a doctor if they were unsure of their suitability.
Professor Lau Yu-lung, a paediatric immunologist and chairman of the government’s Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases, also sought to convince sceptics on a different morning radio show.
“Teenagers love having social interactions, and students in boys’ schools, for example, may want to go to joint school balls with girls after vaccination,” Lau said, highlighting the benefits of vaccination to the young.
He added that schools should give two to three days of rest to vaccinated students, and avoid scheduling vigorous activities such as athletic games for them in the week following the jab.
Professor Lau Yu-lung, chairman of the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases. Photo: Edmond So
Citing overseas studies, Lau said one in 5,000 to 6,000 adolescents might develop a “rare and mild” condition called myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle. Symptoms usually began around four days after receiving the second dose, he added, with boys more at risk.
He suggested anyone who experienced chest pain, difficulty breathing or a racing pulse after vaccination should seek medical consultation.
Lau also argued for lowering the age threshold for receiving Sinovac jabs – currently set at 18 – citing a study by the Chinese manufacturer of some 550 participants aged between three to 17 that found their concentration of antibodies after vaccination was even higher than that seen in adults.
Lau said that meant the vaccine was effective among children, adding the producer could apply to local authorities for emergency approval for use in the city, even without having published its third-stage data in a peer-reviewed journal. That view puts him at odds with another expert, Professor Ivan Hung Fan-ngai, but Lau said he was considering the overall benefits of building up an “immunity barrier” for society as soon as possible so that kids, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, could go back to school full time.
“All the child patients I’ve seen have grown heavier by five to 10kg,” Lau said, bemoaning the health impacts of home confinement during the pandemic.
Scientia Secondary School in Ho Man Tin emerged on Friday as one of the first schools to offer incentives to encourage students to get their jabs, promising a HK$50 book coupon and free masks for each vaccinated pupil.
Tai Tak-ching, head of the Wanchai District Headmasters’ Conference, said he would use the powers of persuasion to get pupils jabbed, adding students who felt unwell could easily get a day off without a doctor’s note in most schools across the city.
One school that was considering applying to the government for an outreach team to visit the campus for vaccination this month is Gertrude Simon Lutheran College in Yuen Long, assistant principal Chan Yiu-fai said.
“The school environment is more familiar to pupils, and if parents can also join at the same time, they might be more [confident],” he said.
The school, which has a student population of over 600, would survey students and parents about their willingness to get vaccinated over the next week, and plans to let those who want the shots to take their first dose in late June after their end-of-year exam.
But Chan said they were not likely to provide incentives for vaccination, as he placed importance on educating parents and pupils and letting them make up their own minds.
For instance, his school this Wednesday invited a representative from the Department of Health to deliver a seminar on campus to teachers on Wednesday about the “costs and benefits of vaccines”. Hundreds of students and parents also joined the seminar online, he added.
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