Hong Kong has given nod to the emergency use of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine developed by Fosun Pharma and BioNTech, and the first one million doses are expected to arrive in Hong Kong in late February.
Sophia Chan, Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Monday approved the emergency use of the vaccine, after taking the assessment of an advisory panel on COVID-19 vaccines as a reference.
The approval took effect on the same day, according to a government statement.
The about one million doses, the first batch of Hong Kong's procurement of 7.5 million doses, are being tested for its safety and quality and will likely be shipped from Germany to Hong Kong late next month.
The government-led inoculation in Hong Kong will then start after necessary quality inspection procedures.
The permission is still subject to several requirements for the vaccine, including updates of the latest clinical data, safety reports, and quality certification. The vaccine producers should also provide more materials about the vaccine's side effects.
Hong Kong is grappling with the fourth wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. With 73 confirmed cases reported on Monday, its total caseload has been brought to 10,158.
