HK Covid expert considering Sinovac booster jab in "personal experiment”
Government pandemic advisor Yuen Kwok-yung is considering getting Sinovac for his Covid-19 booster jab in a “personal experiment”.
“I wish to do more good for Hong Kong, and there are a lot of Sinovac vaccines remaining,” he said on a radio program on Thursday morning.
The advisor also stated that he may receive the vaccine through intradermal injection, as he observed a high level of antibodies after he received his two doses of BioNTech vaccines earlier this year. But he stressed that this will be a “personal experiment”.
Yuen suggested citizens who received inactivated vaccines for their first two doses should consider switching to mRNA vaccines – aka BioNTech -- for the third dose for increased amount of antibodies. But he also said he respects citizens' own choices.
The advisor also rebutted chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who said earlier that a higher level of antibodies created by a vaccine does not prove it is superior to its peers.
She said she did not have any side effects after receiving two Sinovac jabs, making her choose the vaccine again when it comes to the third jab.
“The truth is the higher the level of antibodies in your body, the more protected you are from Covid-19. But now there is still insufficient scientific data to show us what is the optimum level of antibodies,” he explained.
Yuen said the coronavirus mutates slower than the influenza virus and hoped citizens will only need to receive booster jabs only every two to three years.
The advisor warned that in case there is an outbreak after the reopening of borders, two percent of the unvaccinated population will die from infection.
He urged citizens who have no allergic reaction as well as chronic patients with stable conditions to get vaccinated. He also suggested that the government follow Israel's example of distributing vaccine passports, encouraging citizens to get a third dose and make mask-wearing mandatory to keep the number of cases low.
The advisor also stated that he may receive the vaccine through intradermal injection, as he observed a high level of antibodies after he received his two doses of BioNTech vaccines earlier this year. But he stressed that this will be a “personal experiment”.
Yuen suggested citizens who received inactivated vaccines for their first two doses should consider switching to mRNA vaccines – aka BioNTech -- for the third dose for increased amount of antibodies. But he also said he respects citizens' own choices.
The advisor also rebutted chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who said earlier that a higher level of antibodies created by a vaccine does not prove it is superior to its peers.
She said she did not have any side effects after receiving two Sinovac jabs, making her choose the vaccine again when it comes to the third jab.
“The truth is the higher the level of antibodies in your body, the more protected you are from Covid-19. But now there is still insufficient scientific data to show us what is the optimum level of antibodies,” he explained.
Yuen said the coronavirus mutates slower than the influenza virus and hoped citizens will only need to receive booster jabs only every two to three years.
The advisor warned that in case there is an outbreak after the reopening of borders, two percent of the unvaccinated population will die from infection.
He urged citizens who have no allergic reaction as well as chronic patients with stable conditions to get vaccinated. He also suggested that the government follow Israel's example of distributing vaccine passports, encouraging citizens to get a third dose and make mask-wearing mandatory to keep the number of cases low.