Refugee group praises govt decision on jabs

A co-founder of the Society for Asylum-Seekers and Refugees has welcomed plans to include the city’s 13,000 such claimants in the Covid vaccination programme, saying it shows the government is being responsive to their concerns.

The government said on Tuesday that it’s planning to administer vaccines for around 13,000 asylum seekers in Hong Kong at four to six community vaccination centres from July, but said it first needed to conduct a survey with the International Social Service to assess people’s intentions regarding vaccines.

The announcement came amid concern that the SAR may have to dump some unused Covid-19 vaccines that will soon expire.

Isabella Ng said on Wednesday the refugees want more information about the jabs and the risks, including whether they could choose not to have it.

She said some refugees who had been granted the right to work, were employed in restaurants, which now require staff to have vaccinations against Covid-19.

“So for them, this is actually a big help and for some others who are asylum-seekers I think they generally want to know more,” Ng said.