CE meets Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, today (June 10) met with the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Mr Kanat Bozumbayev, at Government House to exchange views on deepening co-operation between the two places. The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan; the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau; and the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Ms Carol Yip, also attended the meeting.
Mr Lee said he was pleased to meet Mr Bozumbayev for the first time and welcomed him and his delegation to Hong Kong for the Alatau City Investment Round Table event scheduled to take place tomorrow (June 11). Mr Lee noted that a business delegation comprising representatives from Hong Kong and Mainland enterprises led by himself had successfully concluded a visit to Central Asia last week and made various achievements. During his visit to Kazakhstan, Mr Lee met respectively with the President of Kazakhstan, Mr Kassym-Jomart Tokayev; the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Mr Olzhas Bektenov; and two Deputy Prime Ministers, to exchange views on topics such as finance, economic and trade relations, and innovation and technology, and to establish high-level liaison between the governments. He thanked the government of Kazakhstan for the great importance it had attached to the visit, providing high-level hospitality and meticulous arrangements for the visit. Mr Lee witnessed the signing of multiple agreements between the two sides, including eight co-operation documents at the government level and 53 co-operation agreements and Memoranda of Understanding beyond the government level, covering such areas as trade and economic co-operation, investment, finance, technology and aviation. These fruitful results have brought co-operation between the two places to a new level. Mr Lee added that he was delighted to further follow up on these outcomes with Mr Bozumbayev today, and looks forward to the continuous deepening of co-operation between the two sides in the future.
Mr Lee said that Hong Kong supports and upholds free trade and multilateralism, as it continues to deepen international exchanges and co-operation, strives to create new trade corridors, and explores emerging market opportunities. Kazakhstan is an important commercial and logistics hub connecting China and Europe. It is also the place where the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative was first proposed, and is Hong Kong's largest trading partner in Central Asia. There are broad prospects for further co-operation. The multiple outcomes achieved during Mr Lee's visit demonstrate Hong Kong's role as a functional platform for the B&R Initiative, as the city actively plays its roles as a "super connector" and "super value-adder" to promote broader and deeper co-operation between the two places and establish a hub-to-hub co-operation model. With the launch of direct flights from Hong Kong to Almaty, Kazakhstan, in the first quarter of next year, people-to-people exchanges between the two places will become even more frequent.
Mr Lee noted that Kazakhstan is promoting reforms on various fronts and driving economic diversification. It is making every effort to develop Alatau City, with a focus on technological innovation and green growth. Hong Kong harnesses its unique advantages under the "one country, two systems" principle in connecting the Mainland and the world, ranking No. 1 globally in economic freedom. Hong Kong is speeding up the development of the Northern Metropolis as the city strives to become an international innovation and technology centre. Mr Lee said he looks forward to Hong Kong and Kazakhstan achieving complementary advantages and co-ordinated development across different sectors. He welcomed enterprises in Kazakhstan to make good use of Hong Kong's premier financial and innovation and technology platforms, as well as its world-leading professional services, to explore more business opportunities. At the same time, Hong Kong will further help local and Mainland enterprises to go global and discover more opportunities, venturing into a new blue ocean in Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan.
CE meets Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CHP investigates severe paediatric case of COVID-19 infection
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (June 10) is investigating a severe paediatric case of COVID-19 infection, and appealed the public to observe good personal and environmental hygiene at all times to prevent influenza and other respiratory illnesses. The CHP reminds high-risk individuals to receive initial doses or booster doses of COVID-19 vaccination at appropriate times to minimise the risk of severe disease and death.
Case details
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The case involves a 19-month-old boy with good past health. He developed a fever, runny nose, cough, shortness of breath and stridor on June 4. He was taken to a private clinic for medical attention on the next day (June 5) and was referred to the Accident and Emergency Department of Kwong Wah Hospital, where he was admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit for treatment. His respiratory specimen tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus upon laboratory testing. The clinical diagnosis was COVID-19 complicated with croup. He remains hospitalised and is currently in critical condition.
The CHP's preliminary investigation revealed that the boy had not received COVID-19 vaccine and had mostly stayed in Hong Kong throughout the incubation period. His three household contacts remain asymptomatic so far.
Government's COVID-19 Vaccination Programme
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"Scientific evidence shows that COVID-19 vaccines are effective in reducing the risk of severe disease and death. Although COVID-19 has become a common respiratory infection in Hong Kong and around the world, certain high-risk individuals, especially young children, who have not received their initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and have not developed immunity through natural infection, face a higher risk of serious complications if they become infected. I would like to specifically remind the public that individuals who have not yet received their initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (including children aged six months or above) should get vaccinated as soon as possible, while high-risk individuals (particularly the elderly and those with underlying comorbidities) should also receive booster dose at appropriate times for effective protection against COVID-19." said the Controller of the CHP, Dr Edwin Tsui.
"According to the latest surveillance data, while the overall local activity of COVID-19 still remains at a relatively low level, slight increases have been recorded continually since early May. The COVID-19 activity levels fluctuate, with an upsurge period generally occurred approximately every six to nine months in recent years. Each upsurge is associated with changes in predominant circulating variants and a decline in community herd immunity. It has been nearly a year since the end of the last periodic upsurge of COVID-19 activity in Hong Kong, and it cannot be ruled out that the overall COVID-19 activity will rise further in the coming one to two months," he added.
The shelf life of the vaccines provided under the Government's COVID-19 Vaccination Programme (the Programme) is going to expire. A new batch of vaccines will arrive in Hong Kong successively in the fourth quarter of 2026. During this transition period, eligible individuals will not be able to receive free COVID-19 vaccines through the Programme for a short period. As such, those in need are advised to make appointments as early as possible. Existing vaccination services will continue until the following dates:
Individuals aged 6 months to 11 years: Vaccination services will be available until July 10, 2026.
Individuals aged 12 or above: Vaccination services will be available until September 5, 2026.
Apart from vaccination, in order to prevent COVID-19, influenza, and other respiratory illnesses as well as transmission in the community, the public should maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene at all times and note the following:
Patients can wear surgical masks to prevent transmission of respiratory viruses. Therefore, it is essential for persons who are symptomatic (even with mild symptoms) to wear a surgical mask;
High-risk persons (e.g. persons with underlying medical conditions or persons who are immunocompromised) should wear surgical masks when visiting public places. The general public should also wear a surgical mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. It is important to wear a mask properly, including performing hand hygiene before wearing and after removing a mask;
Avoid touching one's eyes, mouth and nose;
Practise hand hygiene frequently, wash hands with liquid soap and water properly whenever possibly contaminated;
When hands are not visibly soiled, clean them with 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based handrub;
Cover the mouth and nose with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of soiled tissue paper properly into a lidded rubbish bin, and wash hands thoroughly afterwards;
Maintain good indoor ventilation;
Avoid sharing personal items;
When having respiratory symptoms, wear a surgical mask, consider to refrain from going to work or school, avoid going to crowded places and seek medical advice promptly; and
Maintain a balanced diet, perform physical activity regularly, take adequate rest, do not smoke and avoid overstress.
For more information on the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme and the latest recommendations on vaccine use, please refer to the CHP'swebsite.
Source: AI-found images
