A child receives a BioNTech shot at Hong Kong Children's Hospital Children Community Vaccination Centres on Nov 9, 2022. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG – Hong Kong started giving free BioNTech shots for toddlers on Wednesday as it intensified its vaccination campaign against COVID-19.

In a statement, the government said children aged between 6 months and 4 years could receive the toddler formulation of the BioNTech vaccine at four Children Community Vaccination Centres in Kowloon Bay, Wong Chung Hang, Sha Tin, and Kwai Chung.

Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan said that the government recorded about 750 bookings for the jabs as of 7 pm Tuesday.

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“The population of children aged below three is around 104,000, but only nearly 19 percent of the children in this age group have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine,” Yeung was quoted as saying in the statement.

A child receives a BioNTech shot at Hong Kong Children's Hospital Children Community Vaccination Centres on Nov 9, 2022. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

The population of children aged below three is around 104,000, but only nearly 19 percent of the children in this age group have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine … The later they get vaccinated, the greater the health risks may be posed to them.

Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan, Secretary for the Civil Service of the HKSAR government

"Winter is a challenge to children who have weaker resistance to diseases. The later they get vaccinated, the greater the health risks may be posed to them.” 

She noted that some parents may have outbound travel plans with their children during Christmas or Lunar New Year holidays. 

“Even if the time is short for receiving three doses before their departure, I hope that parents would stop their vaccine hesitancy and arrange the first dose vaccination for their children immediately,” Yeung said. 

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“Let them receive their second dose before their trip if the time allows. Unvaccinated children will have higher risks of getting seriously ill should they get infected, and seeking medical treatment abroad may be complicated,” she added.

Yeung noted that even children who recover from COVID-19  may still suffer from the “after-effects of 'post COVID-19 condition'.”

For children aged 6 months to 4 years, there should be a time interval of eight weeks between their first two doses of the BioNTech vaccine. The dosing interval can be shortened to a minimum of three weeks for those with personal needs, according to the statement.

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Moreover, there should be a three-month interval between the second and third doses. Apart from the BioNTech shot, there are various vaccination venues providing the Sinovac vaccination service for children with ample vaccination quotas, it added.