Health Secretary Receives Influenza Vaccine, Urges Public to Get Vaccinated Early This Season

2026-09-07 18:28 Last Updated At：18:43

Secretary for Health receives seasonal influenza vaccination

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, received a seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) at Sai Wan Ho Family Medicine Clinic today (September 7). The Permanent Secretary for Health, Mr Thomas Chan; the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Cecilia Fan;the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH), Dr Edwin Tsui; the Commissioner for Primary Healthcare of the Health Bureau (HHB), DrPang Fei-chau; the Chairman of the Hospital Authority (HA), Mr Henry Fan; the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Libby Lee;the Assistant Director of the Strategic Purchasing Office of the HHB, Dr Christina Maw,and frontline healthcareworkers also joined the effort and received vaccinations.

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Secretary for Health receives seasonal influenza vaccination Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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Secretary for Health receives seasonal influenza vaccination Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Professor Lo said, "SIV is one of the most effective means to prevent seasonal influenza and its complications. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza virus infection. To be preparedfor the current summer and possible winter influenza seasons in one go, I strongly appeal to all members of the public to receive SIV as early as possible."

SIV can effectively reduce the risks of serious illnesses and death. All members of the public aged 6 months or above, except those with known contraindications, should receive SIV. With the concerted efforts of the Government and various sectors of the community (including the medical sectors, schools, parents and residential care homes), over 2.03 million doses of vaccines were administered under the various SIV programmes in the previous year of 2025/26, with overall coverage rates of the target population remaining similar to those of the preceding year. Among children and adolescents, the SIV rate for persons aged 6 months to under 18 years reached 64.8 per cent, which is 13.1 percentage points higher than the average for the same period over the past three seasons (51.7 per cent). The vaccination rate for adolescents aged 12 to under 18 years reached 61.4 per cent, representing a substantial increase of 22.6 percentage points compared with the average for the same period over the past three seasons (38.8 per cent). Under the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination School Outreach Programme (SIVSOP), more than 2 300 schools (representing 99 per cent of all schools) completed SIV outreach activities by the end of December 2025, up from 91 per cent in the preceding year.

The Government will launch the 2026/27 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programmes, including the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme (VSS), the Government Vaccination Programme, the SIVSOP and the Residential Care Home Vaccination Programme next Thursday (September 17) to provide free or subsidised SIV for children and adolescents aged 6 months to under 18 years; adults aged 18 to 49 with chronic medical conditions (regardless of financial status); persons aged 50 or above (including the elderly living in residential care homes); pregnant women and healthcare workers, and others. For the 2026/27 SIV programmes, the Government has procured approximately 1.3 million doses of four types of influenza vaccines. These four types of vaccines and their suppliers have all met Hong Kong'sstrict regulatory requirements for pharmaceutical products. The Government has also procured 300000 vaccine doses for eligible doctors under the Pilot Scheme on Vaccine Procurement for Doctors (Pilot Scheme).

Professor Lo added, "The Government has consistently accorded high priority to the SIV programmes and has, on an ongoing basis, introduced enhancement measures every year with a view to raising vaccination coverage rates. This year, the Government will implement four optimising initiatives, which are optimising vaccine procurement arrangements with the diversified, non-single-supplier procurement approach to help mitigate supply-chain risks, ensuring the reliability and sustainability of vaccine sources; introducing a new Electronic Consent Form feature through eHealth, which enables members of the public to submit their e-consent forms for the SIVSOP and the VSS via the eHealth mobile application, facilitating public participation in the vaccination programmes and streamlining the administrative procedures for healthcare service providers and schools; increasing the number of influenza vaccine doses to 300 000 for the Pilot Scheme while expanding the eligibility groups of doctors to further enhance the stability of the vaccine supply in the private market;and strengthening the mobilisation of community resources and collaborations with more units in promoting and arranging vaccination activities in the community to jointly expand the protection barrier in society."

For more details, members of the public may call the CHP at 2125 2125 or visit theVaccination Schemes page.

SCST Celebrates the Opening of Jockey Club Hoops Connect Community Basketball Programme to Foster Local Youth Basketball Development

Speech by SCST at kick-off ceremony of Jockey Club Hoops Connect Community Basketball Programme

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, at the kick-off ceremony of the Jockey Club Hoops Connect Community Basketball Programme today (September 7):

Dear Winfried (Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges), Mr Yao Ming (Founder and Chairman of the YAO Foundation), Dr Axel Schweitzer (President and Owner of ALBA BERLIN Basketball), Mr Andreas Zagklis (Secretary-General of the International Basketball Federation), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,

Good afternoon and it is indeed my real pleasure to join you today for the kick-off of the Jockey Club Hoops Connect Community Basketball Programme.

As Winfried said, basketball is one of Hong Kong's most beloved sports, transcending age and district – from children picking up a ball for the first time to seniors staying active in our neighbourhood courts. The Hoops Connect Community Basketball Programme represents a model of international collaboration, blending best practices from around the world to enrich the lives of young people. ALBA BERLIN brings a European youth development system that is as committed to personal growth as it is to athletic skill, while the YAO Foundation has pioneered the use of basketball as a tool for holistic education across the Chinese Mainland - embracing the philosophy of "moving from teaching basketball to educating through basketball" ().

I am delighted to see the Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, and the Hong Kong Playground Association skilfully adapting these proven models into a curriculum tailored for Hong Kong. By integrating structured training, regular competitions, and activities focused on leadership and character building including camps and volunteer service, this programme ensures that we are not just teaching dribbling and shooting; we are building the character and resilience of our teenagers.

Equally commendable is the partnership between the Chinese YMCA and ALBA BERLIN to train the next generation of coaches. This kind of capacity building is exactly what will sustain basketball development in Hong Kong for years to come. I look forward to seeing this five-year programme generate strong synergies with other basketball initiatives across the community, inspiring even more young people to discover a lasting passion for the sport.

The Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) Government remains steadfast in its commitment to sports development, guided by five key policy directions: promoting sports in the community, supporting elite sports, maintaining Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events, enhancing professionalism, and developing sports as an industry. In basketball, our Development Programme for Team Sports provides dedicated funding to strengthen the Hong Kong, China Basketball Team and its second-tier squad. Furthermore, from this month through December, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will stage six thematic sports days across the city, featuring basketball, football, and volleyball. This aligns closely with our country's national drive to elevate the "three major ball games" and encourage every citizen to participate.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for its generous support. Last September, I had the pleasure of officiating at the launch of its Jockey Club Believe & Bounce Basketball Programme. Today, the Hoops Connect initiative carries that commitment forward and works hand in hand with the Government's continuous efforts to promote sports in the community.

Before I close, I invite everyone to stay tuned for the Asian Games, which will commence later this month. Some 580 Hong Kong, China athletes will compete in nearly 40 sports, including women's 5-on-5 and men's 3-on-3 basketball. Please do join me in cheering them on as they take to the international stage.

Congratulations once again on today's launch. May Hoops Connect truly live up to its name – may the hoop bring our youth together and nurture our next generation of basketball talent. Thank you.

Health Secretary Receives Influenza Vaccine, Urges Public to Get Vaccinated Early This Season

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