Carrie Lam, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) (3rd L) attends a press conference in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 11, 2020. Photo:Xinhua

Carrie Lam, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said on Friday that Hong Kong will receive the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine in January 2021 the earliest.

Lam said in a press conference on Friday that the HKSAR government's goal was to provide free vaccination for the whole population of approximately 7.5 million people in Hong Kong.

The purchase volume of vaccines that the HKSAR government aimed at was twice that of Hong Kong's population, which will be enough for 15 million person-times, Lam said, adding that the HKSAR government has already reached agreements of procurement with two vaccine manufacturers.

Lam said that the first batch of 7.5 million doses will arrive in Hong Kong next month at the earliest, following by another batch in the first quarter of next year.

The HKSAR government will make full preparations for vaccination, which include carrying out registration for these vaccines in Hong Kong and arranging priority vaccinations for health care workers, the elderly and people with chronic illnesses, she said.