A Cathay Pacific pilot gets the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at a community vaccination center in the Hong Kong Central Library on Tuesday, as frontline workers and high-risk groups are the first in line to be vaccinated. Photo: VCG

Hong Kong health experts said on Monday that seven deaths cases and one seriously ill patient were not directly linked to the COVID-19 vaccine they had received. And the eight people were all suffering from severe coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction and pulmonary edema.

Medical experts with Hong Kong's Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment made the remarks at a press briefing on Monday, noting that all cases need further analysis.

The Committee said they deemed that the second death in the city following a Sinovac vaccination was not related to the vaccine, as the autopsy report showed that the cause of death of the recipient, a 55-year-old woman, was myocardial infarction, and she had an aortic laceration. 

The Department of Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region issued an interim guideline to primary health care operators on the Sinovac vaccine, stressing that people with recent acute myocardial infarction and stroke should delay vaccination by three to six months until their condition stabilizes. If the patient has hyperlipidemia alone, it should be evaluated according to the clinical situation.

A total of 91,800 doses of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Sinovac and 1,200 doses developed by BioNTech had been administered in Hong Kong as of March 7, and 64 percent of the vaccinated population are people aged 60 and older, Ronald Lam Man-kin, Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, said at a press conference on March 8.

Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said on Monday that she understands vaccinations were a matter of confidence. 

She hopes that more people would be protected after being vaccinated. As we have seen some outbreaks following the relaxation measures, she hopes that more people would be vaccinated so that the community could return to normal life as soon as possible.

Global Times