In this Dec 6, 2021 photo, people take COVID-19 vaccine at a mobile vaccination station at Lok Wah Estate (South), Kwun Tong district, Hong Kong. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government is adding two more COVID-19 mobile vaccination stations from Friday amid a surging fifth wave of infections. 

Besides providing service at public housing estates, the mobile stations will offer outreach service to schools to enable more people and students in the relevant age groups to receive COVID-19 jabs, the government said in press release on Thursday.

One of the stations will first visit Tai Hing Estate in Tuen Mun on March 4 to provide Sinovac vaccine. Later this month, it will visit Tin Hau Temple Fung Shui Square in Tai Po and Tin Yiu Estate in Tin Shui Wai. 

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To be operated in the form of a container, this mobile station has been retrofitted for vaccination purposes. It will be transported by truck to designated locations where it will be placed on the ground.  

Persons who are yet to receive vaccination should get vaccinated immediately, and persons who are eligible for a third dose should make a reservation and receive vaccination as early as possible.

Patrick Nip, Secretary for the Civil Service, HKSAR

The other station will first serve at Tai Yuen Estate in Tai Po on March 4 to provide BioNTech vaccine service.  

Operating in the form of electric vaccination vehicles, it will visit various schools later this month to provide Sinovac vaccine service to students. 

Only one type of vaccine is provided at the mobile vaccination stations each time. People can receive their first, second or third dose of vaccination at the mobile stations, which will operate from 10 am to 5 pm. The last on-site registration time is 4:30 pm. 

Addition of the two stations raised the number of total such stations to four. 

People can walk-in or make a telephone booking in advance. The hotline for enquiries and bookings is 5193-0375 and will be open from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays. 

In a statement, Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen, who returned to office for work on Thursday after completing his home quarantine, said: “We hope that with more MVSs, we can provide vaccination service to more members of the public in a shorter period of time, in particular for elderly persons and students to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, so as to boost the vaccination rate." 

Nip had been undergoing home quarantine since Feb 24 after his wife came down with the coronavirus. 

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Pointing out that the current epidemic situation is of grave concern, he urged those who are yet to receive vaccination to get vaccinated immediately, and those eligible for a third dose to make a reservation and receive vaccination as early as possible. 

“There are various channels for the public to get vaccinated, including Community Vaccination Centers, COVID-19 vaccination stations at public hospitals, private clinics, vaccination venues under private healthcare institutions and the like.”