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HONG KONG (REUTERS) – A new variant of the novel coronavirus that is spreading rapidly in Britain appears to have infected two students who returned to Hong Kong from the UK, the Hong Kong Department of Health said on Wednesday (December 23). Kong, while the city secured 22.5 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Virus samples from the two students, who returned to the Asian financial center in December, appeared to match the British variant of the coronavirus, Dr. Chuang Shuk Kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Center for Health Protection, a agency dependent on the Department. of Health, he said at a daily news conference.
More analysis is needed to verify the samples, he said.
Hong Kong Executive Director Carrie Lam, in a separate press conference on Wednesday, said the government had secured 7.5 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and was seeking a fourth source to ensure an adequate supply for the 7.5 million residents of the city.
Residents could choose which vaccine they want to take, in response to safety concerns, he said.
“I urge the public to get vaccinated for the sake of themselves and their loved ones,” Lam said.
Hong Kong has already ordered 7.5 million doses of China’s Sinovac Biotech and 7.5 million doses of the vaccines from Fosun Pharma-BioNTech. The first batch of one million doses of Sinovac vaccine is expected to be delivered to Hong Kong in January.
Ms. Lam said the government had passed an emergency law to allow authorities to bypass the normal regulatory procedure to rush vaccines to residents.
Hong Kong has banned all flights arriving from the UK since Tuesday, becoming the first city in Asia to announce such a suspension.
Hong Kong saw an increase in the number of cases in late November, prompting authorities to once again close restaurants after 6 p.m. local time and close gyms and beauty salons. The measures are expected to be in effect until at least January 6.
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