Free influenza vaccination to start tomorrow

With the launch of the Government Vaccination Programme for 2018/19 tomorrow (24 October), the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is reminding eligible persons to receive free seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) in a timely manner to better protect themselves in the coming winter influenza season.

The GVP will be implemented in phases. Starting from tomorrow, the GVP will provide vaccination to the following eligible groups who are Hong Kong residents: 

• Pregnant women who are Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients or Certificate for Waiver of Medical Charges (Certificate) holders can get vaccinated in Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) of the DH or Antenatal Clinics of the Hospital Authority (HA);
• Children aged 6 months to under 12 years receiving CSSA or holding the Certificate can receive vaccination in MCHCs (6 months to under 6 years) and Student Health Service Centres of the DH (6 to under 12 years). Those seeking telephone booking for eligible schoolchildren may call the Student Health Service hotline (2856 9133); 
• Elderly persons aged 65 or above attending public clinics, persons who are CSSA recipients or Certificate holders aged 50 to under 65 and those aged below 50 with chronic medical problems, eligible in-patients (including paediatric patients) of the HA and eligible paediatric out-patients, and eligible persons with intellectual disabilities and community-living persons receiving Disability Allowance can receive vaccination during their follow-up or stay in public clinics/hospitals; and  
• Residents of homes for the elderly and persons with disabilities, public/institutional healthcare workers, poultry workers and pig farmers can also get vaccinated accordingly.
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  In parallel, the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme (VSS) started on 10 October to provide subsidised SIV to eligible persons. The coverage of the VSS has been extended from elderly persons aged 65 or above to Hong Kong residents aged 50 or above, further enhancing the vaccination rate of the community. The subsidy for SIV under the VSS will also be increased from $190 to $210 per dose for all eligible groups. Under the VSS, enrolled private doctors can provide subsidised vaccination to eligible groups in their clinics, or organise outreach vaccination activities.

  The DH also introduced the School Outreach Vaccination Pilot Programme this year to increase the SIV uptake rate among primary school children. The pilot programme was rolled out yesterday (22 October) to reach out to 184 primary schools and provide SIV to their students through a Government Outreach Team or a Public-Private-Partnership Team.