HK suggests seniors to get flu jab first

The Hong Kong government had procured about 100,000 shots of southern hemisphere seasonal influenza vaccine and it is suggested that senior citizens to be the first to receive the shot, the Center for Health Protection announced on Friday.

Speaking to the media today, Center for Health Protection Controller Leung Ting-hung said elderly home residents and seniors over 85 will be the first to receive the new vaccine, which is expected to arrive in late April or early May, to protect them from the possible summer flu season.

Leung explained that the center's Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases had recommended that seniors be the priority group as they are the most vulnerable during the flu season - which has been reflected in the high proportion of severe and fatal cases affecting seniors, and the high number of outbreaks in care homes.

As of noon of March 16, among influenza-associated admissions to intensive care unit or deaths in adults aged 18 or above under the enhanced surveillance with public and private hospitals since Jan. 2, 86 percent were the elderly aged 65 or above. As for deaths, 93.5 percent were those aged 65 or above.

The influenza-associated public hospital admission rate for the elderly aged 65 or above peaked at 5.54 cases per 10,000 persons in the last week of January, which is the highest since 2005, and has remained elevated so far.