Over 178,000 people in Hong Kong take 4th dose of COVID-19 vaccines

HONG KONG, July 16 (Xinhua) -- A total of 178,728 people in Hong Kong have taken the fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines, official data showed Saturday.

Since the start of a mass inoculation program in February last year, about 6.76 million people, or 92.8 percent of the eligible population in Hong Kong, have taken at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines, while over 6.49 million, or 89.2 percent of the eligible population, have taken two doses.

As of Saturday, 65.8 percent of the eligible people in Hong Kong have taken their booster doses.

A spokesperson for the Center for Health Protection (CHP) stressed that as the local situation of COVID-19 infection is still severe, the CHP strongly appealed to the community to continue to comply with social distancing measures, avoid going out, and refrain from participating in unnecessary or crowded activities or gatherings.

The spokesperson said that COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing severe cases and deaths, urging people who have yet to receive vaccination, especially senior citizens, chronic patients, and immunocompromised persons who face a higher chance of death after COVID-19 infection to get vaccinated as early as possible.

On Saturday, Hong Kong registered 3,533 confirmed locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 and 229 imported cases, official data showed.