(Fighting New Coronary Pneumonia) Hong Kong donates 7.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to the Global Access Mechanism for New Coronary Vaccines
China News Service, Hong Kong, October 12 (Reporter Han Xingtong) The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced on the 12th that it has reached a tripartite agreement with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to donate 7.5 million doses of AstraZeneca to the Covid-19 Global Access Mechanism (COVAX) Slicon vaccine.
According to the latest announcement of the World Health Organization, the global distribution of the new crown vaccine is extremely unsatisfactory.
Compared to high-income and high-middle-income countries, the first-dose vaccination rate has reached 80%. In low-income and low-middle-income countries, only 20% of the population received the first vaccination.
The Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Chen Zhaoshi, said in a meeting with reporters that Hong Kong has already purchased and approved a total of 15 million doses of Coxing and Fubital vaccines for emergency use, which is sufficient for the entire territory of Hong Kong with two doses per person. Citizens are vaccinated.
The SAR government also expects that Kexing and the German pharmaceutical company BioNTech/Fosun Pharma will continue to provide Hong Kong with a stable supply of vaccines on demand in accordance with the purchase agreement.
Therefore, the 7.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine purchased by the SAR government did not need to be shipped to Hong Kong.
She revealed that the SAR government has reached a tripartite agreement with the global access mechanism for the new crown vaccine, namely COVAX and AstraZeneca, to donate 7.5 million to eligible economies that COVAX pre-market promised assistance, that is, 92 low-income and low-middle-income economies. AstraZeneca vaccine (that is, the entire batch of AstraZeneca vaccine ordered by Hong Kong).
The vaccines will be delivered to the donor countries of COVAX in batches before the second quarter of 2022.
A spokesperson for the SAR government added that while donating AstraZeneca vaccines to COVAX, the SAR government will continue to participate in COVAX to obtain other vaccines that cannot be purchased through the two parties’ procurement agreements. However, the SAR government will carefully consider Hong Kong’s needs and vaccine development. The right to purchase vaccines is exercised only after scientific evidence and other factors.
The spokesperson also mentioned that the SAR government will consider expert opinions, and refer to international experience and overseas practices, and continue to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies on the procurement of new crown vaccine boosters or a new generation of new crown vaccines to more effectively deal with new mutant virus strains.
(over)