18/03/2021
【Priority Groups for Vaccination】
The COVID-19 Vaccination Programme aims to cover the whole Hong Kong population. Since COVID-19 vaccines will be imported in batches and it would also be infeasible to vaccinate the whole population over a short time period, it is necessary to identify priority groups to be vaccinated first, and vaccines will then be offered to the rest of the population in an orderly manner.
The Scientific Committee on Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases (SCEZD), the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases (SCVPD), and the Expert Advisory Panel to Chief Executive (EAP), after reviewing the latest scientific evidence on the epidemiology and clinical features of COVID-19, published clinical data on the COVID-19 vaccines and local data, as well as recommendations and practices by overseas health authorities, opined that priority for COVID-19 vaccination should be accorded to high-risk groups that are most vulnerable to the development of severe disease or death from COVID-19 infection, have greater risks of exposure to the virus and transmitting the virus to susceptible and vulnerable patients, or are critical for maintaining essential societal functioning; and suggested to accord priority to the following groups:
✅ First: Residents and staff of residential care homes for the elderly/persons with disabilities and other institutional facilities
✅ Second: Workers in health-care settings, workers in other essential services who are at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19, and persons aged 60 years or above
✅ Third: Persons with chronic medical problems aged between 16 and 59 years
According to the above recommendations, and taking into account the supply situation of the vaccines, and the progress of the vaccination programme, the Government decided to arrange priority vaccination for the following groups*:
The following are priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination*:
✳️ Persons aged 30 years or above (a maximum of two carers who accompany elderly people aged 70 or above can also receive vaccination)
✳️ Personnel in healthcare settings and those participating in anti-epidemic related work
✳️ Residents and staff of residential care homes for the elderly / persons with disabilities and staff of Community Care Service units for the elderly / persons with disabilities
✳️ Personnel maintaining critical public services
✳️ Personnel providing cross-boundary transportation or working at control points and ports
✳️ Staff of food and beverages premises, markets, supermarkets, convenience stores and couriers (including takeaway food delivery)
✳️ Staff of local public transport service operators
✳️ Registered construction workers and other resident site personnel
✳️ Staff of property management
✳️ Teachers and school staff
✳️ Staff of the tourism industry
✳️ Staff of scheduled premises under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F)
✳️ Students studying outside Hong Kong (aged 16 years or above)
✳️ Domestic helpers
*Updated on 15 March 2021
For more information on vaccines, please visit below website
www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en