Govt approves BioNTech jab for babies, toddlers
The government on Wednesday authorised the use of the baby and toddler version of the BioNTech coronavirus jab, but it says it is not sure when the vaccine will be supplied to Hong Kong.   At present, the BioNTech shot is only given to those aged five and above, while the Sinovac jab was made available for younger children in August. The administration said in a statement that the health secretary considered the paediatric and toddler formulation of the BioNTech vaccine to fulfil the criteria of safety, efficacy and quality for emergency use in Hong Kong, after taking into account the views from experts on a government-appointed advisory panel. The experts agreed the benefits of using the jab outweigh its risks.  However, a government spokesman said it was waiting for the vaccine manufacturer to confirm when it can supply the jabs. "In the face of the threat posed by the highly transmissible mutant virus strains, children are among our focuses of protection in the Covid-19 vaccination programme. We call on parents to arrange vaccination for their children as early as possible without delay, thus enabling them to have early protection," he said. Government advisers had previously said that BioNTech was safe for infants, but that they would require a dose around a tenth of that given to adults. They said the administration would have to source smaller doses as it was difficult to dilute the shots. Meanwhile, the government says it will set up nine additional Covid-19 vaccination venues this month at convenient locations, including Mong Kok, Hung Hom, Wong Tai Sin, Quarry Bay, Tseung Kwan O and Tsuen Wan.