TOP STORIES

Only a quarter of unvaccinated people intend to be inoculated against the Covid-19 virus over the next six months, a survey has found. The findings have led researchers to conclude that the uptake of the Covid-19 vaccine remains low in Hong Kong, which still has a long way towards reaching herd immunity. The Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong interviewed 1,200 Cantonese or Mandarin-speaking Hong Kong residents in a telephone survey conducted between April 23 and May 8. It found that 76.1% of the respondents had not taken any jabs, and only 25.1% of them said they would make or had made reservations to be inoculated in the coming six months. Professor Paul Chan Kay-sheung, chairman of the university’s Department of Microbiology, said it was alarming that the predicted acceptance of vaccination was only 37%, which was much lower than the target required for herd immunity protection or for relaxing of containment measures required for the recovery of the economy. “Hong Kong should set a goal of vaccine coverage of at least 70% through informed, voluntary vaccination,” said Professor Chan. To achieve the target, he suggests the Government could proactively address people’s concerns over the new form of vaccines purchased by Hong Kong, the vaccine manufacturers’ track record and the country of production. According to the survey results, belief of fatal side effects after vaccination is the major reason why people do not want to be vaccinated, followed by a lack of confidence in the government’s recommendations and in the place of vaccine production, and waiting for a better vaccine. Professor Eliza Wong Lai-yi of the university’s Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care said people were hesitant about getting vaccinated because there were few reports about the effectiveness of the vaccines, but a …

Hong Kong’s 38-day streak without an untraceable Covid-19 case has ended, with a 35-year-old male policeman confirmed to have been infected today. The Centre for Health Protection said a sample of the officer’s saliva had tested positive, but the result of another test conducted after he was admitted to hospital was negative.    However, as a precautionary move, about 40 to 50 of the officer’s close contacts were being quarantined and further tests would be conducted to confirm if he was really infected, said officials. Meanwhile, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has defended the government’s warning that those who have been inoculated against the virus may not be allowed to enter restaurants or entertainment venues if another wave of infection hits Hong Kong. The idea was not meant to punish those who had not been vaccinated, but aimed at protecting public health, she said before today’s Executive Council meeting.  A high vaccination rate would give us a “vaccine barrier” if we were unfortunately hit by a fifth wave of infection, she said. If the ideal vaccination rate could be achieved by the end of August, then those measures would not be needed, she said. Heeding a call from the government, more and more companies are providing different kinds of incentives to encourage people to get vaccinated, including cash handouts, air tickets, meal coupons, theme park tickets and anti-epidemic supplies. The most eye-catching reward is a $10.8 million apartment donated by the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, a subsidiary company of the Hong Kong Sino Group and the Chinese Estates Holdings Limited.  Lucy Lang, a university student, said the reward was attractive. “Hong Kong is known for its high housing prices. If you can get a flat, it will reduce a lot of burden on your life after graduation,” she said.  …

Mandatory masking because of the COVID-19 pandemic has discouraged some young people from smoking in public, but it has also prompted others to smoke more at home. That is what The Young Reporter found after talking to a number of young people on the World No Tobacco Day 2021 today.  Even though the theme of the United Nations initiative this year is “Commit to quit”, it appears not too many university students have made a commitment to do so. A 22-year-old university student who would only be identified as Mr Wong said he had to reduce smoking since the outbreak of the pandemic because he could not smoke on the streets, worrying that he might be caught by police for not wearing a mask. Due to the switch to online learning, he said he had few opportunities to go out and had been smoking less as he did not want to subject his family members to the risk of second-hand smoke. However, for students who live on their own, the pandemic has meant smoking more. Jia Fengyuan, a 20-year-old student who lives off-campus, said he had been smoking more because he was spending more time at home. “Usually smoking is banned on the campus, but I can switch off the camera for a while and have a cigarette when I have online classes at home,” said Jia, who added that his roommates did not mind him smoking. Another 20-year-old student from the mainland, who would only be identified by his surname of Luo, also said he had been smoking since arriving in Hong Kong during the pandemic, as he had more time staying alone indoors due to online learning and didn't need to worry about his family being affected by second-hand smoking. In his message marking the World No Tobacco …