Two scientific committees and the Chief Executive's expert advisory panel (EAP) today recommended healthy children aged six months to 17 years without a past history of COVID-19 infection to receive a total of three COVID-19 vaccine doses.

The Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases and the Scientific Committee on Emerging & Zoonotic Diseases (JSC) under the Department of Health’s Centre for Health Protection, joined by the Chief Executive's EAP, convened a meeting today to discuss and issue the updated consensus interim recommendations on the use of the COVID-19 vaccine booster in Hong Kong this year.

Taking reference from the latest World Health Organization recommendation, the JSC-EAP recommended healthy children aged six months to 17 years without a past history of COVID-19 infection to receive a total of three doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

Immunocompetent children aged five to 11 years without a past history of COVID-19 infection who have previously received two doses of the BioNTech vaccine are now recommended to receive an additional dose at least five months after their previous vaccine dose.

Additionally, the JSC-EAP recommended another booster to be given at least six months after the last dose or COVID-19 infection for high risk priority groups in 2023.

The high risk priority groups include adults aged 50 or above, people aged 18 to 49 years with underlying comorbidities, people with immunocompromising conditions aged six months and above, pregnant women and healthcare workers.

For children and adolescents aged six months to 17 years with comorbidities as well as healthy adults aged 18 to 49 years, an additional booster this year may be considered based on personal choice.

Regarding the choice of vaccine for the booster for 2023, the JSC-EAP considered that it could be the Sinovac or BioNTech ancestral strain vaccines or BioNTech bivalent vaccine so long as their use was age-appropriate.

Click here for the interim recommendations.