Carrie Lam says she will get jabs of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine

HONG KONG -- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said Thursday she will receive the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Sinovac Biotech, the first vaccine available in Hong Kong with 1 million doses to be delivered Friday.

Lam announced the decision on her social media account as she had promised on an earlier occasion to get the first authorized vaccine arriving in Hong Kong.

The HKSAR government on Thursday morning approved the emergency use of the Sinovac vaccine with the recommendation by a panel of experts. Hong Kong has procured 7.5 million Sinovac doses developed and produced in the mainland.

Hong Kong will kick off the first phase of the vaccination free for its residents on Feb. 26 and medical workers and the aged are among the priority groups.

"Hong Kong's anti-epidemic work will set a new milestone," Lam said.

The inoculation will come at a time when Hong Kong has managed to keep its daily new infections at single digit for days. With the epidemic abating, the government has relaxed some control measures, allowing entertainment venues to reopen and loosening restrictions over restaurants, to let people resume normal lives gradually.

Lam called on the public to keep their guard up when enjoying themselves at restaurants, beauty salons and cinemas and in particular encouraged them to use LeaveHomeSafe, an anti-epidemic app that helps users record their visit history.