Covid-19 Booster Advice
The Covid-19 booster shot is now available for certain groups of people in Hong Kong, and we know that many of you have questions. At Central Health we always follow our guiding principle – giving our patients the same medical advice as we would to our close friends and family members. With this in mind, we suggest the following:
Everyone eligible should firstly complete the two-dose schedule to become fully vaccinated, unless you have specific contraindications or pre-existing conditions, and have been given written advice by your doctor to remain unvaccinated. If an outbreak occurs in Hong Kong, or there is an urgent need to travel, you may not have time to become fully protected.
Who can get a booster?
We have found the following flowchart to be the simplest way to check if you are officially eligible for a booster:
www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/pdf/Poster_recommend_third_dose.pdf
When to get a booster?
Covid-19 boosters are probably most useful one month prior to travel outside of Hong Kong or as soon as there is any evidence that local cases are rising, suggesting the risk of a new outbreak. Those who belong to a high risk group and wish to get their booster as soon as possible can do so from now on. The government will likely include more groups of people as eligible for booster doses in the coming weeks.
Pfizer-BioTech or Sinovac?
Currently the evidence shows that the Pfizer-BioTech vaccine elicits a better immune response, whether you had the Pfizer or Sinovac as a primary vaccination course. Pfizer’s booster dose is the same formulation and strength as the initial doses. Data shows the side effects of the booster are very similar to the symptoms some people experienced after the initial vaccines, and possibly even milder.
If you have a special consideration such as a medical condition, previous infection or vaccination overseas, then our family doctors, obstetricians and paediatricians can give you more individualised advice based on current evidence.We continue to offer Covid-19 antibody tests and general health checkups to guide us in making the best decision for you and your family.
Also note that it is recommended to have a minimal interval of at least 14 days between administration of COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty or CoronaVac) and any other vaccine.
Other Central Health Updates
A warm welcome to our new psychiatrist Dr. Maxine Cheung. She will be available to see patients at both our Duddell Street and Southside clinics. For bookings and enquiries please email enquiries@centralhealth.com.hk
This month we say goodbye to our part time psychiatrist Dr Christian Chui who is leaving to spend more time pursuing his interest in another medical specialty. We all wish him well and thank him for his time at Central Health.
