Know Your Eligibility: Hong Kong’s Free Influenza Vaccination

On Thursday, September 19th, the Center for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) announced that the 2024/2025 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programmes, which consist of the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination School Outreach Programme and the Residential Care Home Vaccination Programme (RVP), will begin this Thursday, September 26th.

This Pacific Prime Hong Kong article will discuss the eligibility criteria for Hong Kong’s free influenza vaccination program for local Hong Kong citizens and expats as well as the vaccination programme itself.

Eligibility Criteria for Hong Kong’s Seasonal Influenza Vaccination

People who are eligible for Hong Kong’s free Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programmes include individuals aged 50 or older, children between six months and 18 years old, pregnant women, and individuals living in residential care homes or working in healthcare institutions.

Overview: The Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programmes

Announced on September 19th and set to begin on September 26th, the CHP’s Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programmes consist of the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination School Outreach Programme (SIVSOP) and the Residential Care Home Vaccination Programme (RVP).

The CHP strongly urged the public to get the seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) for better protection during the upcoming influenza season. The local winter influenza season typically begins in January while the summer surge lasts from July to August.

The Seasonal Influenza Vaccination School Outreach Programme (SIVSOP)

The SIVSOP allows primary and secondary schools, along with kindergartens and childcare centers to arrange outreach vaccination teams to provide SIVs for school children.

Schools can choose to join the SIVSOP and/or the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme (VSS) School Outreach Programme. Under the SIVSOP, the DH will arrange vaccination teams to provide free SIV for all participating schoolchildren. Vaccines will be provided by the DH and a subsidy of HKD $105 per dose will be given to doctors.

On the other hand, schools can also arrange outreach vaccinations through the VSS by selecting doctors and arranging the outreach activity, including the vaccination type. The government will provide a HKD $260 subsidy per dose to the doctor.

School staff and parents can also get vaccinated during the outreach activity if they wish.

Currently, roughly 860 kindergartens and childcare centers (79%), 610 primary schools (92%), and 380 secondary schools have arranged vaccination for school children. The government strongly urged schools that have not signed up for the outreach vaccination program to do so as soon as possible.

Based on the statistics, it is evident that participating in outreach vaccination programmes can greatly boost the influenza vaccination rate for schoolchildren by more than double, amounting to an average vaccination rate of 70%, which strengthens immunity barriers among schoolchildren overall.

The Residential Care Home Vaccination Programme (RVP)

With the Residential Care Home Vaccination Program, the DH will offer free vaccination for care homes. Visiting medical professionals enrolled in the vaccination program will be invited by institutions to administer vaccinations to eligible residents. The subsidy for each dose will be HKD $105.

The vaccination will be available for elderly and disabled residents in the residential care homes, as well as the staff. Non-institutionalized persons with intellectual disabilities (PID) receiving services and staff working in designated institutions serving PID are also eligible for the vaccination.

Further Recommendations

The Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases (SCVPD) under the CHP recommended that the vaccine compositions for the 2024/2025 vaccination season should match the latest recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO).

The WHO recommends that vaccines to be given out in the 2024/2025 season contain:

1. An A/Thailand/8/2022 (H3N2)-like virus
2. An A/Victoria/4897/2022 (H1N1)-like virus
3. A B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Victoria)-like virus
4. A B/Phuket/3073/2013 (B/Yamagata lineage)-like virus

The SCVPD also recommended IIVs (Injectable Inactivated Influenza Vaccines) and LAIVs (Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccines) for use in Hong Kong.

Depending on the brand, most IIVs are recommended for individuals aged 6 months or older, including healthy individuals, pregnant women, and those with chronic medical conditions.

LAIVs can be used for individuals aged 2-49, except pregnant women, individuals who are immunocompromised, or those with other contraindications.

Conclusion

Starting September 26th, the CHP is set to commence the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programme, allowing schools and residential care homes to access quality vaccinations in the face of the coming influenza season in Hong Kong.

Individuals aged 50 or older, children between six months to 18 years old, pregnant women, and individuals in residential homes or working in healthcare facilities will be eligible for the city’s free vaccination.

As an expat in Hong Kong, you should be aware that there will always be a risk of injuries or illnesses, especially with the influenza season on the horizon. What’s more, healthcare bills may be more costly in Hong Kong compared to your home country.

With a suitable health insurance plan that covers vaccination and other forms of preventative care, however, you can safeguard both your health and finances in the face of the influenza season. While finding plans may be daunting, it doesn’t have to be a headache and we’re here to help.

As an experienced health insurance broker, Pacific Prime Hong Kong can help you seek out suitable health insurance plans that match both your budget range and unique healthcare needs.

Whether you’re an expat or local Hong Kong citizen, we can go the extra mile by offering completely impartial advice at no additional cost. If you have any further questions, you can always get in touch with us and if you would like to compare plans, you can also get a free quote with us.

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Wish Sutthatothon

Content Writer at Pacific Prime Hong Kong

Wish Sutthatothon (Nickname: Guy) is currently a content writer at Pacific Prime Thailand, an insurance broker that connects individuals and businesses with insurance providers worldwide. He creates and edits blog articles, guides, reports, webpages, and other types of digital content.

He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts, Media & Communication major (concentration: Creative Content) from Mahidol University International College (MUIC). During the compulsory major elective period in the summer of 2021 and voluntarily during the summer of 2022, he also interned as a video and photo editor at Mbrella Films.

He has experience working as an English Content Writer at a real estate buying/renting/selling platform in Thonglor. There, he crafted company blog posts on a multitude of topics. Topics include market trends, legal issues and disputes in property businesses, financial guides, expat guides, home insurance, home decoration and maintenance, and weekly real estate news quick-recaps. Occasionally, as part of the blog-writing process, he would also translate existing Thai blogs to English.

In his free time, Guy enjoys doing scriptwriting and storytelling for comic strips, watching movies, and listening to music (particularly film scores).

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