No shortage of Covid jabs in Shenzhen: hospital chief

The chief executive of the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Lo Chung-mau has reassured Hongkongers living in Shenzhen that there is a sufficient supply of Covid vaccines there, saying people who find it difficult to book a shot will just have to be patient.

He made the remarks on an RTHK programme on Tuesday after some Hongkongers living in the mainland city complained that they can’t get jabs because daily bookings are often snatched up within minutes.

Lo said bookings at eight vaccination centres in Shenzhen are open for non-mainlanders. He added that his hospital alone will provide 1,000 slots every day from this week, and with an increase in manpower and resources, the capacity will double in a month’s time.

Lo said 600,000 Hongkongers are living in Shenzhen and they can’t all expect to be inoculated “within a day or two, or within a month, even”.

Meanwhile, pro-establishment lawmaker Alice Mak said the government should seek to integrate its LeaveHomeSafe app with the mainland’s health code system, so that Hong Kong people who are vaccinated on the mainland can key in the record in the LeaveHomeSafe app, and those who receive jabs in the SAR can enter the information in the mainland app.

“One of the reasons why the people really want to receive the vaccine is that they hope it will be more convenient for them to go to the mainland when the border reopens,” Mak said.

“If the government can achieve this mutual recognition of vaccination record, I believe it really helps people, especially those who want to study or work on the mainland,” she said.