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

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.

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 the Vaccination Schemes page.

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau (centre), chats with a citizen before receiving his seasonal influenza vaccination at Sai Wan Ho Family Medicine Clinic today (September 7). Looking on is the Chairman of the Hospital Authority, Mr Henry Fan (right). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau (back row, seventh right); the Permanent Secretary for Health, Mr Thomas Chan (back row, seventh left); the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Cecilia Fan (back row, sixth left); the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam (back row, sixth right); the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Dr Edwin Tsui (back row, fourth right); the Commissioner for Primary Healthcare of the Health Bureau (HHB), Dr Pang Fei-chau (back row, fourth left); the Assistant Director of the Strategic Purchasing Office of the HHB, Dr Christina Maw (back row, third right); the Chairman of the Hospital Authority (HA), Mr Henry Fan (back row, fifth left); and the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Libby Lee (back row, fifth right), joined by frontline healthcare workers at Sai Wan Ho Family Medicine Clinic today (September 7), urged members of the public to receive a seasonal influenza vaccination as early as possible. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau (back row, centre); the Permanent Secretary for Health, Mr Thomas Chan (back row, fourth left); the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Cecilia Fan (back row, third left); the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam (back row, fourth right); the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Dr Edwin Tsui (back row, first right); the Commissioner for Primary Healthcare of the Health Bureau (HHB), Dr Pang Fei-chau (back row, first left); the Assistant Director of the Strategic Purchasing Office of the HHB, Dr Christina Maw (back row, second right); the Chairman of the Hospital Authority (HA), Mr Henry Fan (back row, second left); and the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Libby Lee (back row, third right), look on as frontline healthcare workers receive seasonal influenza vaccinations at Sai Wan Ho Family Medicine Clinic today (September 7). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Dr Edwin Tsui (front row, third left); the Commissioner for Primary Healthcare of the Health Bureau (HHB), Dr Pang Fei-chau (front row, first left); and the Assistant Director of the Strategic Purchasing Office of the HHB, Dr Christina Maw (front row, second right), receive seasonal influenza vaccinations at Sai Wan Ho Family Medicine Clinic today (September 7). Looking on are the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau (back row, third right); the Permanent Secretary for Health, Mr Thomas Chan (back row, third left); the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Cecilia Fan (back row, second left); the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam (back row, second right); the Chairman of the Hospital Authority (HA), Mr Henry Fan (back row, first left); and the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Libby Lee (back row, first right). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Under Secretary for Health, Dr Cecilia Fan (front row, third left); the Chairman of the Hospital Authority (HA), Mr Henry Fan (front row, first left); and the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Libby Lee (front row, second right), receive seasonal influenza vaccinations at Sai Wan Ho Family Medicine Clinic today (September 7). Looking on are the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau (back row, centre); the Permanent Secretary for Health, Mr Thomas Chan (back row, left); and the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam (back row, right). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau (third left); the Permanent Secretary for Health, Mr Thomas Chan (first left); and the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam (second right), receive seasonal influenza vaccinations at Sai Wan Ho Family Medicine Clinic today (September 7). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Third batch of HKSAR young public officers to work at United Nations

The third batch of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) young public officers recommended by the Central Government of the People's Republic of China will be taking up positions in the United Nations (UN). The Launch Ceremony was held at the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR (OCMFA) today (September 8).

With the support of the Central People's Government and the assistance of the OCMFA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) recommended 16 young public officers to participate in the UN Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme in the current round, marking a record high. This fully reflects the nation's recognition of the capabilities of the HKSAR's civil servants, and underscores the nation's care, trust and aspirations for Hong Kong's youth. The 16 officers come from the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau; the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department; the Census and Statistics Department; the Civil Engineering and Development Department; the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department; the Department of Justice; the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department; the Hong Kong Observatory; the Hong Kong Police Force; the Intellectual Property Department; the Lands Department and the Independent Commission Against Corruption of the HKSAR Government. They will be working in the UN Headquarters, and the UN offices in Geneva, Switzerland; Vienna, Austria; and Nairobi, Kenya, as Chinese personnel, and will begin departing from this month for two-year tenures.

Addressing the Launch Ceremony, the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, said that the HKSAR Government will soon promulgate The First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030), which will fully align with the nation's 15th Five-Year Plan, improve mechanisms for Hong Kong to assume a greater role in the country's opening up to the world, and harness Hong Kong's role as an important window for exchange and mutual learning between the Chinese and Western cultures. Hong Kong youth applying their professional expertise and perseverance on the international arena exemplifies the HKSAR's alignment with national strategies and contribution to overall national diplomacy. It is also Hong Kong's responsibility and mission to contribute to the nation's endeavours to promote the building of a global community with a shared future. The young public servants sent by Hong Kong to international organisations bring together the city's professional strengths and practical experience across a number of key fields. They will represent Hong Kong's glorious contributions towards helping the country fulfil its commitments as a leading nation to work with the international community in addressing the challenges of the times.

Mr Lee encouraged the third batch of officers with three "hearts", a heart for the nation, a heart for Hong Kong and a heart for the world. He urged them to serve as pioneers in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, as the driving force in promoting the high-quality development of the HKSAR, and as a "super connector" and "super value-adder" connecting the nation with the world. Mr Lee expressed his hope that the third batch of officers would build on the achievements of the preceding two batches, and tell authentic and compelling stories of Hong Kong on the international stage. He also encouraged them to transform their takeaways into an innovative mindset and momentum for propelling the socio-economic development of the HKSAR in the future.

Accompanied by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, Mr Lee had an exchange with the third batch of officers to learn about their preparation before departure, and wished them every success in their work in the UN. The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC; the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Miss Janice Tse Siu-wa, and a number of Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments also attended the Launch Ceremony.

The primary objective of the UN JPO Programme is to provide young professionals with opportunities to work and learn under the guidance of professional officers, thereby accumulating practical experience in the field of multilateral international co-operation. The HKSAR sent five and 12 young public officers recommended by the MFA to participate in the Programme in 2019 and 2023 respectively. They performed outstandingly and were highly commended by the UN side, with some having their tenures extended.

Third batch of HKSAR young public officers to work at United Nations Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Third batch of HKSAR young public officers to work at United Nations Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases