Wan Chai vaccination centre ‘to stay open after all’

A contractor running the Covid-19 vaccination centre at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai reversed its earlier decision to wind down the centre from July due to a low take-up rate, saying it will continue to monitor the situation and keep running the centre for now.

Dr David Lam, the chairman of Medical Conscience, earlier told RTHK that the centre, which provides the BioNTech vaccines, would shut from July 1, adding that his group has been under a heavy financial burden with the centre’s vaccine take-up rate remaining low.

He had said with only as few as 200 to 300 people taking a Covid jab at the centre for some days, his group has been facing a financial burden.

But hours after making the comment, Lam told the media that his group had changed its mind about closing the centre, noting that children aged 12 to 15 are now allowed to get vaccinated and people have become more willing to receive the vaccine.

Lam said they had told schools nearby that they could help send students to receive the BioNTech vaccine at the centre. He said they would continue to monitor the situation for two to three more weeks, adding that they would probably be concerned if the number of people using the service stayed low.

He also said some kind-hearted people had promised to donate money to fund the centre’s operation, adding that he believes the centre would not be under too heavy a financial burden in future.

The government’s online vaccine booking system shows that there are still vaccination slots available at the centre from Thursday till July 5.

Dr Liu Shao-haei from the Society for Innovative Healthcare Hong Kong, another contractor running the centre, also confirmed that the centre would continue to operate.

“We will continue to provide service. This is a government service we have contracted with, in July and also beyond. Of course some of the reporters stated our booking rate is on the very low side, yes we’re concerned about that. But nevertheless we will communicate with government to see what [would be our] further arrangements,” he said.

The doctor said they would continue to monitor the vaccination rate, adding that they would have to consult the government if they planned to shut the centre.

“According to the contract, this needs to be discussed with the government. It is not a one-sided decision,” Liu said.