Hong Kong's new crown vaccination program has been implemented for 347 days. At present, 72% of the population has received two doses of the new crown vaccine, and the coverage rate is only 32% for those aged 80 or above, 60% for those aged 70 to 79, and about 2% for those aged 60 to 69. 75%.
There is a lively debate in society about how vaccination rates can be increased.
Written by: Dr Li Ha-yin, Director of Strategy and Development, Hospital Authority
Many people are still reluctant to get vaccinated, and in the numbness of speculation, we might as well look at the situation in other countries.
Israel is similar to Hong Kong in terms of population numbers or demographic structure, and even the overall vaccination rate is about 70%.
In January of this year, they were entering another peak period of the epidemic, with about 40,000 to 60,000 new diagnoses every day. In February, the situation improved slightly, and there were more than 20,000 new cases every day.
Judging from the experience of Israel, with the current vaccination rate in Hong Kong, we have the same experience at any time.
Do we have the capacity to receive 60,000 new cases per day?
In fact, the experience and data of various countries show that if people who are not vaccinated are infected with the new crown virus, the mortality rate is much higher than that of those who have been vaccinated.
The experience of the United States and Switzerland is eleven to thirteen times.
This is especially true among silver-haired people.
Although only 12% of people aged 60 or older in Israel have not received two doses of the vaccine, this age group accounted for 43% of deaths from the new coronavirus in January.
Taking Singapore as an example, their Covid-19 vaccination rate ranks fourth in the world. Unvaccinated people, regardless of age group, are admitted to the intensive care unit due to Covid-19 infection far more than those who have been vaccinated. up to ten times.
As for the difference in death figures, the data show that the situation is especially pronounced in the over-60 age group, and in the 80-year-old group, the mortality rate without vaccination is seven times that of those who have been vaccinated.
Hong Kong people are known for their dexterity and escape. Can we learn from other people's experience, not repeat the same mistakes, and work together to vaccinate the old and the young?
"Hong Kong 01" "01 Clinic", in cooperation with the Hospital Authority, publishes a column "Garden Tour" written by medical staff every Wednesday.
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