Hong Kong Faces Risk of Discarding 2 Million Pfizer Vaccine Doses Due to Vaccine Hesitancy

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Hong Kong is facing a situation where it must discard 2 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine due to widespread vaccine hesitancy.

On the 25th (local time), the BBC reported, "The 2 million doses of Pfizer vaccine currently held by Hong Kong will expire within three months."

Tommy Cheung, former head of the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection, said on public broadcaster RTHK radio, "Vaccines past their expiration date cannot be used," adding, "Pfizer vaccinations at local vaccination centers will also be suspended after September."

He further stated, "It is not right to discard large quantities of vaccines while the whole world is competing for them," and added, "There will be no additional supplies until the end of the year."

Hong Kong, with a population of 7.5 million, secured 7.5 million doses each of the Pfizer and Sinovac vaccines. However, as of the 24th, the first dose vaccination rate is only 16.9%, and the second dose rate is 12.1%.

In political circles, there are voices suggesting exporting unused vaccines. The high level of vaccine hesitancy in Hong Kong is analyzed to be due to the relatively small scale of confirmed cases and high distrust of the government.

The BBC explained, "Since the 2019 Hong Kong democracy movement, trust in the government has sharply declined, and distrust has grown further after the forced enactment of the National Security Law last year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.