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Health

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Adjustments to social distancing measures

Reducing the flow of people and social contact is an effective way to prevent the spread of disease. The government adjusted social distancing measures in the light of the pandemic's development so that commercial and social activities, work and school classes could be maintained to an appropriate extent.

• Prevention of imported cases - The government imposed various measures to prevent imported cases, including requiring travellers arriving in Hong Kong from countries outside China to undergo compulsory quarantine at designated hotels. The government also adjusted the testing and self-isolation requirements for consular and diplomatic officers, air crew members and other exempted persons from time to time in accordance with the prevailing risk assessment to minimise the risk of virus transmission from imported cases.

In September, with the aim of procuring COVID-19 vaccines for the entire Hong Kong population, the government announced that it would join the WHO'S COVAX scheme and enter into advance purchase agreements with individual vaccine developers to obtain supplies of vaccines at an earlier time. In December, the government made advance procurement for vaccines. Its aim is to provide free vaccinations on a voluntary basis to the majority of Hong Kong's population during 2021.

Vaccination

Children are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis B, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox and pneumococcal disease under the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme. Starting from the second term of the 2019-20 school year, the government has provided free vaccination under the programme against the human papillomavirus to school girls of suitable grades as a public health strategy in preventing cervical cancer.

From October each year, the government provides free and subsidised seasonal influenza vaccinations (SIV) to eligible people, including those aged 50 or above and children, under the Government Vaccination Programme and the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme. In 2020, the scope of eligible groups was extended to cover persons receiving the standard rate of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance as '100% disabled' or 'requiring constant attendance. The programme provides free vaccinations at public hospitals and clinics, residential care homes for the elderly and for persons with disabilities, residential child care centres, and designated institutions serving people with intellectual disabilities. The scheme grants participating private doctors a subsidy of $240 for each vaccination they give to eligible groups.

Both initiatives also provide free and subsidised 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (23vPPV) to eligible people aged 65 or above, and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) to eligible high-risk elderly people. The subsidies paid to private doctors for 23vPPV and PCV13 are $300 and $760 per dose respectively.

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