政府今日（四月十八日）宣布將就印度、巴基斯坦及菲律賓實施地區性航班「熔斷機制」，由四月二十日零時零分起禁止所有從該些地區來港的民航客機着陸香港14天，同時亦會將該些地區列為《預防及控制疾病（規管跨境交通工具及到港者）規例》（第599H章）下的極高風險A組指明地區，限制曾在該些地區逗留人士登機來港，熔斷為期14天。

政府在四月十四日開始實施經收緊的個別航班「熔斷機制」，並同時實施新設並行的地區性航班「熔斷機制」。在地區性航班「熔斷機制」下，從同一地區抵港的所有民航客機，不論任何航空公司，如在七天內共有五名或以上乘客經抵港檢測確診並帶有N501Y變種病毒株，政府將引用第599H章禁止所有從該地區來港的民航客機着陸香港14天，同時亦會將相關地區列為第599H章下的極高風險地區，禁止曾逗留於該地區超過兩小時的人士登上任何來港的民航客機，為期14天，以避免相關地區人士經轉機到港。

政府發言人表示：「由於香港首次在社區發現涉及N501Y變種病毒株的確診個案，為審慎起見，政府按剛落實的地區性航班『熔斷機制』所設的指標，追溯過去14天從不同地區經抵港檢測而確診帶有N501Y變種病毒株的輸入個案。印度、巴基斯坦及菲律賓均涉曾經在過去14天期間有累計七天相關個案數目觸及相關指標，因此政府將就該三個地區實施地區性『熔斷機制』。」

就該三個地區實施的「熔斷機制」由四月二十日零時零分開始生效，為期14天。相關限制包括禁止所有從該些地區來港的民航客機着陸香港，以及將該三個地區指明為第599H章下的A組指明地區，限制任何在登機當天或當天之前21天曾經在該地區逗留超過兩小時的人士登機來港。

與此同時，為了加強從海外地區回港人士的檢測，政府將會就從第599H章下的極高風險地區（即目前的A組指明地區）回港人士發出強制檢測公告，要求相關回港人士即使在完成21天強制檢疫以及檢疫期間的第12天和第19天檢測後，仍需要進一步自我監察七天，並在回港第26天接受核酸檢測。

政府發言人表示：「政府會繼續密切監察全球及本地的疫情發展，在有需要時進一步調整相關的入境防控措施。」

Updated information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and vaccines

1. New direction in fighting pandemic & Social distancing measures under Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance

With the fourth wave of the epidemic which has emerged since the second half of November last year apparently under control, a new direction in fighting the pandemic will be adopted down the road. The Government will adjust various anti-epidemic measures with 「vaccine bubble」 as the basis. Members of the public are encouraged to get vaccinated sooner rather than later so that Hong Kong can gradually return to normality, and the flow of people with the Mainland and overseas can be restored as soon as possible.

However, to continue containing the spread of the disease and taking into account the pressure for potential rebound of the epidemic brought by earlier relaxation of social distancing measures and the frequent gatherings among members of the public during the long holiday, the Government still needs to maintain existing social distancing measures for the coming two weeks for prudence’s sake.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Programme has been smoothly implemented for a while. Some staff members of the catering business premises or scheduled premises have completed the vaccination course (i.e. after 14 days following the administration of two vaccine doses for production of antibodies). In view of the protection brought by the vaccination, the relevant staff member will not need to undergo regular testing starting from the fourteenth day upon his or her completion of a COVID-19 vaccination course. However, any person who has symptoms should seek medical attention immediately and undergo testing. Relevant staff member should keep the vaccination record as proof of vaccination. The fourteenth day upon a person’s completion of a vaccination course is counted by taking the next day after the person received all of the recommended dose(s) of vaccine as the first day. For example, for a person who has not been infected with COVID-19 and received the second dose of vaccine on April 15, the 「first day」 would be April 16 and the 「fourteenth day」 would be April 29.

If the epidemic situation remains stable, the Government will adjust social distancing measures orderly with 『vaccine bubble』 as the basis. The details will be announced later.

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/12/P2021041200923.htm

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/14/P2021041400025.htm

2. Specifications under Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation to be gazetted

The global pandemic situation remains severe. During the two-week period from late March to early April, there were over 7.9 million new cases and more than 138 000 new deaths reported globally. Hong Kong cannot afford to drop its guard on entry prevention and control measures. The Secretary for Food and Health will publish in the Gazette updated specifications made under Cap. 599H to include Egypt under the high-risk Group B specified places. The relevant specifications will be effective from April 20 until further notice.

Details on the grouping of specified places and their respective boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements can be found at:

www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/high-risk-places.html

3. Government implements various measures to improve workflow of COVID-19 vaccination

To facilitate the public’s identification of the correct venue for vaccination, each of the community vaccination centres (CVCs) and designated general outpatient clinics of the Hospital Authority have been assigned a unique code number. The code number for venues administering Sinovac vaccine will start with the prefix 「S」, while those for BioNTech vaccination will start with the prefix 「B」. For example, S01 is the code number of the Hong Kong Central Library CVC which administers Sinovac vaccine, and B02 is the code number of the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sports Centre CVC which administers BioNTech vaccine. The SMS messages for persons to be vaccinated will also start right-away with the code number of the vaccination venue chosen. In addition, the CVCs will also display their code number at prominent positions at the venue entrance. These arrangements will help reception staff and the public alike to tell if the latter has come to the correct vaccination venue.

For details, please refer to:

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/13/P2021041300846.htm

4. Outreach Vaccination Arrangement for RCHs

The Outreach Vaccination Arrangement for Residential Care Homes (RCHs) under the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme (outreach arrangement) started on April 13. Outreach teams and visiting medical officers (VMOs) will visit the RCHs for the elderly that are participating in the outreach arrangement, which provides free vaccination services at the RCHs for their residents and service users of the day service units attached to the premises of the RCHs who have agreed to receive a vaccination and have been assessed by medical doctors as suitable for receiving a vaccination.

Residents who choose not to participate in the outreach vaccination arrangement will not be vaccinated in the RCHs, but they can still make bookings by themselves and receive a vaccination at Community Vaccination Centres or other locations.

For details, please refer to:

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/13/P2021041300415.htm

More information on COVID-19 vaccines:

www.covidvaccine.gov.hk

 

Interview on COVID-19 Vaccination Programme in Radio Programmes in Ethnic Minority Languages

COVID-19 Vaccination Programme in the radio programme in Bahasa Indonesia, Nepali and Hindi, to be broadcast on 11 April 2021 with details as follows:-

	Bahasa Indonesia	Nepali	Hindi
Name of Radio Programme	Good Morning Indonesians (Selamat Pagi Indonesians)	Saptahik Sandesh	Desi Tadka
Channel	RTHK Radio 2 (FM94.8-96.9)	RTHK Radio 3 (Hong Kong-wide: AM567)	Metro Plus AM1044
Broadcast Date and Time	11 April 2021, 6:00-8:00am	11 April 2021, 7:05-8:00pm	11 April 2021, 4:00-5:00 pm
Name of Guest Speaker from UCNCHS	Viviana indriani	Sharmila Gurung	Rinzin Chodor

Updated information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and vaccines

1. Arrangements for designated flights from United Kingdom to Hong Kong and quarantine arrangements for arrivals from low-risk places
   The Government has put in place since late December last year the measure under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H) to restrict persons who had stayed in extremely high-risk Group A specified places from boarding flights for Hong Kong.   The Government will specify that passengers of designated flights will not be subject to the restriction on boarding for Hong Kong and will arrange for these returnees to undergo the 21-day compulsory quarantine in a specified quarantine facility.

The designated flights will be the CX2252 flights departing London in the UK on April 21 and April 28 at 9.10am. The airline will open the ticketing reservation system on April 8 at 4 pm (Hong Kong Time). Upon check-in for the designated flights, travellers will be required to present negative result proof of a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) nucleic acid test for COVID-19, conducted within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure of the aircraft. Results of tests conducted using other techniques will not be accepted. In addition, the travellers must present the confirmation of their room reservation in the specified quarantine facility mentioned above for 21 nights after their arrival in Hong Kong.

Travellers arriving on the designated flights will all be required to undergo compulsory quarantine at the centrally managed specified quarantine facility (Rambler Garden Hotel in Tsing Yi) for 21 days. The relevant persons under quarantine will be tested again on the 7th, 12th and 19th days during quarantine.

Relevant FAQs: https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/FAQ_UK_Returnees_ENG.pdf

The global epidemic situation remains severe with new virus variants ravaging many parts of the world. The appropriate adjustments to the entry restrictions and quarantine arrangements will be conducive to the gradual resumption of travel between Hong Kong and other overseas places. In the meantime, the Government will continue various measures to stringently guard against the importation of cases.

The compulsory quarantine period for persons arriving at Hong Kong on or after April 9, and who have only stayed in Australia, New Zealand or Singapore on the day of arrival in Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day, will be shortened to 14 days, while they will be required to self-monitor for the subsequent seven days and be subject compulsory testing on the 19th day after their arrival at Hong Kong. The relevant persons will still be required to undergo compulsory quarantine in designated quarantine hotels. This arrangement will be applicable to both Hong Kong residents and non-Hong Kong residents.

Details on the grouping of specified places and their respective boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements can be found at:

www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/high-risk-places.html

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/01/P2021040100696.htm

2. Government announces investigation results regarding packaging defects of BioNTech vaccine and arrangements for resumption of vaccination service

According to the information provided by Fosun Industrial Co., Limited (Fosun) and German drug manufacturer BioNTech, BioNTech has completed the relevant investigation and analysis regarding defects found in a small number of vial caps in a batch of vaccines supplied to the Hong Kong and Macao regions.  It is confirmed that the occurrence of the said problem is only associated with vaccine packaging under transport conditions. The production process and quality of the vaccine are found to be intact. The drug manufacturer confirmed that the safety and efficacy of the vaccine were not affected by the aforesaid issue, hence members of the public who had received the BioNTech vaccine did not need to worry. That said, for the sake of prudence, batches 210102 and 210104 will continue to be put on hold at the request of the drug manufacturer until completion of the final investigation report. The Government is also prepared to follow the recommendation of the drug manufacturer to suitably handle the relevant batches at a later time, including no longer administering the relevant batches of the BioNTech vaccine.

The shipment of about 300 000 doses of the Comirnaty vaccine manufactured by BioNTech, filled and finished at another plant in Germany, arrived in Hong Kong on April 2 as arranged by Fosun Pharma.

The Government has resumed the administration of the Comirnaty vaccine for members of the public starting from 5 April.  For changes to the vaccination slot or centre, please cancel the timeslot from the online booking system first and then make another reservation.

For details, please refer to:

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202104/01/P2021040100848.htm

https://www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/

Please visit the Thematic Website (https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/index.html) regularly for further information and updates.   We would like to solicit your support to disseminate the information to your service users so that they could adopt proper preventive measures. Thank you very much for your support.

How to make vaccination booking online

(Hindi 印度文 िह�ी) https://youtu.be/iwyaRrH5P1E
(Nepali 尼泊爾文 नेपा ली) https://youtu.be/D8M5Z80Dfbw
(Urdu 巴基斯坦文اردو https://youtu.be/4VGVnbItQ_8

Updated information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and vaccines

1. Government announces initial investigation results regarding packaging defects of BioNTech vaccine

The Department of Health (DH) had earlier noticed that there was an accumulated number of cases of packaging defects (including loose vial caps, leakages from the vials, etc.) regarding the BioNTech vaccines (batch no. 210102). The DH immediately notified the vaccine supplier (Fosun Industrial Co., Limited (Fosun) and German drug manufacturer BioNTech) and requested for prompt follow-up. At the same time, in view that the supplier has launched an urgent and comprehensive investigation on the packaging defects, the Government agreed to the supplier’s recommendation and suspended vaccination of batch 210102 and 210104 of the BioNTech vaccines in Hong Kong for the sake of prudence and as a precautionary measure.

According to the initial investigation results, Fosun and German drug manufacturer BioNTech considered that there is no evidence indicating any safety risks of the BioNTech vaccines delivered to Hong Kong (batch no. 210102 and 210104). Members of the public who have received the BioNTech vaccines do not need to worry. The subsequent investigation work will mainly target on ascertaining the integrity of the intrinsic properties of the relevant batches of vaccine, and that the batches are safe for use.

Premised on the condition of safety, the Government will strive to resume the administration of the BioNTech vaccine for members of the public as soon as possible, so as to protect public health and the health of citizens.

For details, please refer to the press release:

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202103/27/P2021032700785.htm

2. Safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccines

DH has put in place a pharmacovigilance system for COVID-19 immunization, including receiving reports of Adverse Events Following Immunization (「AEFIs」) related to the COVID-19 vaccines used in Hong Kong from healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical industries.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Prevention and Control of Disease (Use of Vaccines) Regulation, Cap. 599K to monitor any adverse event that occurs to the recipient associated with the administration of the relevant vaccine, the Director of Health appointed the Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment Following COVID-19 Immunization (「Expert Committee」) to provide independent assessment of potential causal link between AEFIs and COVID-19 vaccines used in Hong Kong and to provide expert advice to the Government on safety-related matters. The Department of Health also partners with the University of Hong Kong to conduct an active surveillance programme for Adverse Events of Special Interest (「AESIs」) related to COVID-19 vaccines.

Thematic webpage:

https://www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/vaccine

Report on the Safety Monitoring of COVID-19 Vaccines in Hong Kong (updated regularly):

https://www.drugoffice.gov.hk/eps/do/en/doc/Safety_Monitoring_of_COVID-19_Vaccines_in_Hong_Kong.pdf

3. Multilingual information

To facilitate more ethnic minorities to receive the Government’s latest information, various materials on COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring and fact sheets etc. have been translated into multiple languages. For details, please refer to the attachment.

 

Health updates from Hong Kong Red Cross

Website Health Express | Hong Kong Red Cross

Updated information on COVID-19 vaccines

The Government is implementing a phased territory-wide COVID-19 Vaccination Programme free of charge for all Hong Kong residents. For information related to vaccination, please visit Thematic Website www.covidvaccine.gov.hk.

According to the Scientific Committees』 recommendations, and taking into account the supply situation of the vaccines, the Government decided to arrange priority vaccination for the five groups below:
1.        Persons aged 60 years or above (a maximum of two carers who accompany elderly people aged 70 or above can also receive vaccination);
2.        Personnel in healthcare settings and those participating in anti-epidemic related work;
3.        Residents and staff of residential care homes for the elderly / persons with disabilities;
4.        Personnel maintaining critical public services; and
5.        Personnel performing cross-boundary related work.

To facilitate more ethnic minorities to receive the Government’s latest vaccination information, relevant information will be translated into multiple languages and made available progressively.

Hindi                https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/102743.html

Nepali                https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/102786.html

Urdu                https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/102787.html

Thai                https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/102788.html

Bahasa Indonesia        https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/102790.html

Tagalog        https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/102791.html

Sinhala                https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/102799.html

Bengali                https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/102796.html

Vietnamese        https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/102797.html

Lifesaving Training Incentive Programme for Ethnic Minority Youths

Have you ever dreamt of turning your passion into a career?  The Home Affairs Department (HAD) has always been supportive in building the personal development of ethnic minority youths in our community.  In 2018, HAD first launched the Lifesaving Training Incentive Programme for Ethnic Minority Youths to provide them with training to acquire the Lifesaving Bronze Medallion.  When Mr. Singh Sukhwinder, who loves swimming a lot, heard about the programme through one of the HAD’s eight support service centres for ethnic minorities, he applied to it right away and went through all the trainings.  A year later in 2019, he continued his journey to become a qualified lifeguard by participating in the Pool Lifeguard Award Training Course.  After completing the intensive training, Sukhwinder and 17 other ethnic minority youngsters successfully obtained the Pool Lifeguard Award!  Shortly afterward, Sukhwinder joined the Leisure and Cultural Services Department as a seasonal lifeguard for the 2020 swimming season.    Check out Sukhwinder’s story of turning his love for swimming into his career here!

Please click here for the video

 

Communicable Diseases: Prevent pneumonia and respiratory tract infection

Video is in English.

What You Must Know for Coronavirus Disease 2019

Requirements imposed by the Secretary for Food and Health under Cap 599F and 599G

Information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

HKSAR Government mapping out plans to bring back Hong Kong residents stranded in India and Pakistan by chartered flights (English only)

Apply for Construction Industry “Anti-epidemic Fund” (Registered Construction Workers) (English only)

Applications for Food & Environmental Hygiene Department subsidy schemes (English only)

Anti-epidemic subsidy extended (English only)

正確洗手方法

Maintain drainage pipes properly and add water to the U-traps regularly (English only)

Severe Respiratory Disease associated with a Novel Infectious Agent (English only)

Health Advice for Properties Management (English only)

Health Advice for Workplace (English only)

免費麻疹疫苗補種計劃 – 未具免疫力的成人

Love Upgrading Special Scheme – Supporting those Recently Unemployed or Under-employed for Skills Enhancement (English Only)

M@H Poster(all language versions)

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