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Coronavirus: Three per cent of 3,165 elderly Hongkongers contacted during campaign to boost vaccination take up offer
Only 3 per cent of elderly Hong Kong residents contacted by a charity have signed up for Covid-19 vaccination a week after the launch of a major government-sponsored drive, which has raised fears over how soon the city can further reopen to the rest of the world.
The Senior Citizen Home Safety Association, which runs the 24-hour “safety phone” emergency service used by many elderly people who live alone, joined forces with the Civil Service Bureau to tap into its client list in a bid to vaccinate the elderly.
The association has contacted 3,165 of its unvaccinated elderly clients since the campaign started and arranged bookings for about 100 of them, about 3 per cent of those approached.
Maura Wong, the association’s chief executive, said that many vaccine-hesitant older residents were put off from getting their jabs because of mobility problems or family objections.
“Quite a few elderly residents have difficulty moving around and heading out to get vaccinated, while some elderly residents avoided the jab as they feared their family would oppose it, even though they may want it themselves,” she said.
Donald Li Kwok-tung, the chairman of the Elderly Commission, and other health experts appealed to the government to look at new ways to improve access to inoculation for the elderly, although some questioned whether the reopening of the city should be linked to vaccination rates.
“With accessibility, you have to find the elderly where they are, in the places they normally visit,” Li said. “For instance, I have long called for vaccination programmes at welfare centres, so officials can talk to some vaccine-reluctant elderly and change their minds when they access government services.
“If we can set up vaccination booths at MTR stations, why can’t we do more?”
Li added the government also needed to rely more on frontline care workers, including family doctors, to break down myths surrounding vaccination.
Dr Siddharth Sridhar, a University of Hong Kong clinical virologist, said vaccination should not be made compulsory and that officials should redirect some of their efforts at boosting child vaccination rates towards the elderly, which was “ultimately the group with the highest risks”.
But he said vaccination should not be the indicator for the resumption of international travel.
“The two issues are not relevant to each other because we have more than 5,000 cases locally even with current border restrictions,” he said. “All elderly are strongly recommended to receive Covid-19 vaccine doses because Covid-19 is endemic in Hong Kong.”
Professor Benjamin Cowling, a University of Hong Kong epidemiologist, said that vaccination levels should not be used as “an excuse” to retain the city’s restrictions on travel.
He added that the government should instead draw up a timeline for the relaxation of travel restrictions and at the same time set a goal for the vaccination rate.
But he emphasised there would not be “a finishing line” for Covid-19 vaccination and it would be important to maintain wide coverage in the future.
Dr Wong Chun-por, a geriatrician involved in the association’s campaign, said that there were still misconceptions about the coronavirus among the elderly.
“Some worry that they will die after vaccination, while some believe they won’t catch Covid-19 if they stay long enough at home,” she said.
They were speaking after Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday again linked quarantine regulations to vaccination rates among high-risk groups.
“When the government deals with the pandemic, it has to mull its measures holistically,” Lee said.
He explained that high vaccination levels were crucial when asked about a possible end to quarantine requirements in November in time for a high-level financial summit.
“Vaccination is the best protection for oneself and society. The higher the vaccination rate, especially that of high-risk groups, the higher the chance and room to resume normal social and economic activities,” Lee said.
But recent statistics have shown there is still a long way to go to achieve high vaccination coverage for vulnerable people.
The Home Affairs Department said after a citywide drive last month that 6,600 more people had been vaccinated, including about 1,300 residents aged 70 or above.
The department’s campaign included 40 vaccination outreach trips and 30 community seminars which attracted more than 25,000 people.
The government said there were still about 341,000 people aged 60 or more who were unvaccinated.
About 77.37 per cent of those aged 60 to 69 have had three shots, with the figure dropping to 71.78 per cent for the 70s, and 52.68 per cent for those in their 80s or above.
- SCMP
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