Government health advisers in Hong Kong are calling on residents to get COVID-19 booster shots, especially for those in high-risk priority groups, in response to a recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the city.
Committees on vaccine-preventable diseases and on zoonotic diseases under the Centre for Health Protection made the call after detecting alarming surveillance indicators, such as respiratory specimen detection rates and viral loads from sewage surveillance.
READ MORE: Call for vaccination boost as COVID cases rise in Hong Kong
While the number of severe and fatal cases has remained stable despite the case spike, the advisers recommended members of high-risk priority groups take a booster dose at least six months after their previous dose or COVID-19 infection, regardless of the number of doses received previously.
Those considered exposed to high risk include people aged 50 or above, including those living in residential care homes; individuals aged 18 to 49 years with underlying comorbidities; people with a compromised immune system; pregnant women; and healthcare workers.
According to the government’s notification, JN.1 — an Omicron sublineage rapidly spreading since December — and its descendant strains remain the predominant circulating variants in Hong Kong, though there was no information suggesting JN.1 causes illness that is more severe.
The advisers recommended that the JN.1-lineage vaccine, once available in Hong Kong, be used for appropriate people.
The experts reiterated that currently available COVID-19 vaccines, including inactivated virus and mRNA vaccines, remain effective in reducing severe COVID-19 infection and death.
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Considering that the majority of the population acquired some immunity against COVID-19 during the pandemic, the initial vaccination guidance has been simplified. For someone who has never received a COVID-19 vaccine, an initial vaccination of one dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine or two doses of inactivated vaccine will be considered complete, instead of the previously recommended three initial doses.
As of Sunday, more than 80 percent of residents have had three doses of COVID-19 vaccine. About 47,000 people have had at least six doses.
In a separate review, experts reaffirmed the recommendation for measles vaccination for adults without immunity. It reported an antibody level of over 95 percent across all ages and specific groups, based on studies conducted from 2022-24.
