EDB to co-organise virtual lectures on vaccination with Hong Kong Paediatric Society and actively arrange vaccination for students
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The Education Bureau (EDB) and the Hong Kong Paediatric Society will co-organise two virtual lectures this Thursday (May 5) and Saturday (May 7) to invite paediatricians to provide expert advice to parents on “Complications of COVID-19 infection and importance of COVID-19 vaccination in children”. At the same time, a new round of school vaccination day activities will be launched to further promote COVID-19 vaccination for students.
A spokesman for the EDB said, “Vaccination is the most effective way to protect against COVID-19 and reduce the risk of falling seriously ill and death should one get infected. A high vaccination rate will help construct a more effective protective barrier in schools and create a safer learning environment for students in the resumption of half-day face-to-face classes. Following the gradual and orderly resumption of face-to-face classes of all schools in Hong Kong, some parents may still have doubts about the complications of COVID-19 infection or the possible side effects of vaccination. In this regard, we have invited paediatricians to give virtual lectures and professional consultations to parents to allay their concerns. We will also invite schools and parents to share their experience to help promote vaccination. We appeal to parents and school stakeholders to actively participate in the virtual lectures to understand more about the importance of vaccination.”
Parents of all kindergartens, primary and secondary schools as well as school principals and teachers can register for the two identical virtual lectures through the hyperlinks below or the QR codes on the poster (see Annex). The lectures will also be broadcast live by RTHK VNEWS (https://fb.com/RTHKVNEWS). The lectures will be conducted in Cantonese.
First lecture:
Date：May 5, 2022 (Thursday)
Time：7pm to 8.30pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvdu-hrzMoH9ee4NQ5sQK2jsLb6tvMzqrx
Second lecture:
Date：May 7, 2022 (Saturday)
Time：11am to 12.30pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrdeurrTkrGNbqOvvXghZshh-hxryMvloj
The spokesman said that the EDB has been working closely with the relevant government departments to provide diversified and convenient means for students to receive vaccination. Apart from holding the virtual lectures, the EDB will organise at least seven “Vaccination Day” activities in various districts of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories.
The EDB, as the school sponsoring body of government schools, has been actively promoting vaccination for students. A number of government schools will serve as vaccination centres this week to arrange vaccination for school staff, students and their family members in the districts through school outreach by COVID-19 Mobile Vaccination Stations or group booking to Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs).
In addition, the EDB will jointly organise “Vaccination Day” activities in mid-May with a number of district school heads associations (including Hong Kong Island School Heads Association, the Association of Heads of Secondary Schools of Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi District, Tsuen Wan Primary School Heads’ Association, Kwai Chung District Primary School Heads Association, Tsing Yi Primary School Heads’ Association, and Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi District Kindergarten Heads Association) to facilitate students, parents and their family members to get vaccinated through Vaccination Subsidy Scheme (VSS) School Outreach. The respective district school heads associations have launched publicity for the events and parents in the respective districts can register early through their children’s schools.
The spokesman again strongly appealed to schools and parents to make full use of various measures and means provided by the Government to arrange vaccination for students so that they can get effective protection and resume their happy school life.
Schools can arrange group bookings to CVCs and designated Student Health Service Centres of the Department of Health for students to receive the Sinovac vaccine, and/or Children Community Vaccination Centres for children aged 5 to 11 to receive the BioNTech vaccine. Booking and transportation services for schools will be provided by the Government. Schools can also contact doctors on their own or through the EDB to match doctors under the VSS School Outreach to provide outreach Sinovac vaccination service for students. Apart from the above arrangements through schools, parents/guardians can also make their own bookings for their children through the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme website (https://booking.covidvaccine.gov.hk/forms/index.jsp) direct.
The EDB will continue to urge schools to make use of diversified channels including parent-teacher associations to step up publicity and encourage parents to proactively arrange vaccination for students in order to protect the health of individuals and the community.