Coronavirus Hong Kong: give elderly in care homes BioNTech vaccine instead of Sinovac to better protect them, patients’ concern group says
- German-made BioNTech offers more effective protection in a shorter span of time, says Patients and Healthcare Professionals Rights Association
- Numbers could jump in coming weeks, it warns, pointing to approaching Easter holiday and expected easing of social-distance measures on April 21
The Patients and Healthcare Professionals Rights Association on Sunday said people who received two jabs of the German-made BioNTech within the span of 21 days had more effective protection against the virus in a shorter span of time than those who received three doses of the Chinese-manufactured Sinovac spaced over four months.
Association convenor Dr Jeffrey Pong Chiu-fai argued the government should supply BioNTech shots to the care home residents unless they or their families refused to give consent.
“It’s important to encourage the elderly to complete the vaccination schedule as quickly as possible for a proper immunity,” he said, adding that decreasing infection numbers did not mean residents could let down their guard.
Numbers could jump in the coming weeks, he warned, pointing to the approaching Easter holiday and the expected easing of social-distance measures on April 21.
