HK to resume vaccination with Pfizer, BioNTech jabs

Hong Kong will resume administering the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech in the city next Monday, following a 12-day suspension after packaging defects were detected in a batch of the shots, officials said Thursday.

A new batch of 300,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine is expected to arrive in Hong Kong on Friday, said Patrick Nip, Secretary for the Civil Service in Hong Kong during a news conference.

Health officials said that an investigation by the vaccine maker showed that there were no irregularities in the handling of the vaccine, and that there were no safety or quality issues regarding the Pfizer vaccines from the affected batch 210102 from which packaging defects on some vials were found, as well as a separate, unused 210104 batch of shots in the city.

Random checking will also be stepped up to ensure that vaccine packaging is safe, said Constance Chan, Director of Health of Hong Kong.

The residents who missed their appointments due to the suspension will have their appointments rescheduled, according to officials.

Those scheduled to receive their second dose of the vaccine will be given appointments within the first few days of the resumption.

The packaging defects that caused the suspension included loose vial caps and leakages of some bottles. Prior to the suspension, about 151,000 people had received the Pfizer vaccine in the city.

The suspension was a further blow to the city's struggling vaccine drive, amid widespread hesitancy to get inoculated.

Since the vaccination campaign began in February, only about 6% of the population have signed up and received shots, compared to over 16% in Singapore, which started giving vaccinations just several days earlier.