Vaccination program extended to schools from September

The Health Bureau’s vaccination outreach program will be extended to schools from September, according to Dr. Tai Wa Hou, coordinator of the bureau’s Covid-19 Vaccination Operation.
Speaking yesterday during the health authorities’ Covid-19 press briefing, Tai announced that the Health Bureau has been in talks with the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) to coordinate the procedures necessary for the outreach vaccination program to be extended to schools.
Tai did not elaborate on which school levels will be targeted with the program at this stage, but reaffirmed that, following negotiations with DSEDJ, the Health Bureau will initiate the program in schools in September this year, following similar procedures enacted in local higher education institutions earlier this year.
The goal is to increase the vaccination rate in the 12 to 18 year old group, which Tai noted is currently too low, standing at only approximately 20% of the population in this age group.
When questioned about the only vaccine approved for this age group and available in Macau being the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine, Tai noted that “the BioNTech vaccine is very good and very safe. It underwent many tests worldwide and we can ensure that this is a high-quality vaccine and is safe to be used on this age group,” he remarked, calling for parents not to wait until the Sinopharm vaccine is approved for younger age groups.