Dear Staff and Students,
We would like to share the following message from Department of Health about Updated information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and vaccines.
Health, Safety and Environment Office
Dear Sir/Madam,
Updated information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)and vaccines
1. Quarantine and testing arrangements for persons arriving at Hong Kong from places in Mainland other than Guangdong Province, Macao, and Taiwan
The Government will from August 9 require all persons who have stayed in places in the Mainland other than Guangdong Province or Macao to present prior to boarding a flight for Hong Kong a negative result proof of a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 which is conducted on the day or within three days prior to the scheduled time of departure. Persons who fail to present the relevant negative test result will not be allowed to board for Hong Kong.
Relevant persons will be tested multiple times during quarantine. In the light of the ravages of mutant virus, the Government will also enhance the testing requirements applicable to persons arriving from the Mainland, Macao and Taiwan, including the addition of compulsory testing on the ninth, 16th, and 19th days of arrival at Hong Kong for persons with exempted or shortened quarantine periods. The newly enhanced compulsory testing requirements are applicable to all persons arriving at Hong Kong on or after August 4 (including persons returning to Hong Kong under Return2hk).
For details, refer to: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/06/P2021080500905.htm
2. Government tightens eligibility criteria for free COVID-19 testing for targeted groups at community testing centres
In the face of the threat posed by mutant strains and as a preparation for the fifth wave of epidemic, the Government will continue to require staff of targeted groups to receive vaccination as soon as possible, while at the same time strengthen the testing arrangements for staff who have yet to complete a vaccination course. In view of the protection brought by the vaccination, fully vaccinated staff will in general no longer be required to undergo regular or such frequent testing. Only in very exceptional situations can an individual staff member postpone his or her vaccination, e.g. if he or she is unfit to receive vaccination at the moment because of health reasons, but the staff will be subject to undergo more frequent testing which must be done by using combined nasal and throat swabs.
Starting from August, free COVID-19 testing at community testing centres (CTCs) will only be provided to individual eligible persons of targeted groups (mainly those who have yet to complete a COVID-19 vaccination course or are unfit for vaccination because of health reasons), and the eligibility criteria for free test will also be tightened.
For details, refer to: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/04/P2021080401030.htm
3. Update on monitoring COVID-19 vaccination
As at 8pm on August 1, close to 5.72 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered for members of the public. Over 3.25 million people had received at least one dose of vaccine, accounting for 47.9 per cent of the population aged 12 or above. The DH received 4 735 reports of adverse events (0.08 per cent of the total vaccine doses administered). Among the death cases concerning persons who had been vaccinated, including 27 cases with vaccination within 14 days before they passed away (0.0005 per cent of the total vaccine doses administered), none of the death cases was associated with vaccination.
For details, refer to:
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/04/P2021080400986.htm
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/04/P2021080400870.htm
More information on COVID-19 vaccines
www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/
We would like to solicit your support to disseminate the information to your colleagues, work associates and/or business partners so that they could adopt proper preventive measures. Thank you very much for your support.
Department of Health
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敬啟者：
2019冠狀病毒病及疫苗的最新資訊
1. 廣東省以外的內地地區、澳門及台灣來港人士的檢疫及檢測安排
因應目前疫情，政府將由八月九日起要求曾逗留除廣東省以外其他內地地區或澳門人士，在登上民航客機來港時，須出示預定起飛時間當天或之前三天內進行的2019冠狀病毒病核酸檢測陰性結果證明。未能出示有關陰性檢測結果證明的人士將不能登機來港。
有關人士抵港後在檢疫期間須接受多次檢測。而因應變種病毒肆虐，政府亦加強內地地區、澳門及台灣抵港後的檢測要求，包括就豁免或縮短檢疫期人士增加抵港後第9天、第16天和第19天的強制檢測。新增強制檢測要求適用於所有於八月四日或以後抵港人士（包括循「回港易」回港的人士）。
詳情可參閱：https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/05/P2021080500857.htm
2. 社區檢測中心收緊特定群組免費2019冠狀病毒病檢測的條件
面對變異病毒株的威脅，並為第五波疫情作準備，政府會繼續要求特定群組的員工盡早接種疫苗，同時加強未完成接種疫苗員工的檢測安排。由於疫苗可為接種者帶來保護，完成接種的員工一般將無須接受定期或較頻繁的檢測。只有在非常例外的情況，例如個別員工因健康原因而暫時不適宜接種疫苗，方可暫緩接種疫苗，但他們須接受更頻密的檢測，而有關檢測必須以鼻腔和咽喉合併拭子樣本進行。
由八月起，社區檢測中心只會為個別符合資格的特定群組人士（主要為未完成接種新冠疫苗或因健康原因而不適宜接種新冠疫苗的人士）提供免費2019冠狀病毒病檢測，而免費檢測的條件亦會收緊。
詳情可參閱：https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/04/P2021080400722.htm
3. 2019冠狀病毒病疫苗接種監測更新
截至八月一日晚上八時，本港市民合共接種了接近572萬劑新冠疫苗。已接種最少一劑疫苗的巿民超過325萬名，佔全港12歲或以上人口的47.9%。衞生署共接獲4 735宗異常事件報告（佔疫苗接種總劑量的0.08%）。就涉及接種疫苗人士的死亡個案，包括27宗涉及曾經於離世前14日內接種疫苗（佔疫苗接種總劑量的0.0005%），沒有死亡個案顯示與接種疫苗有關聯。
詳情可參閱：
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/04/P2021080400985.htm
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/04/P2021080400871.htm
更多新冠疫苗資訊：
www.covidvaccine.gov.hk
希望你可以將有關資訊與你的同事、合作者及／或業務伙伴分享，讓他們都能採取合適的預防措施。非常感謝你的支持。
衞生署
