The Government Influenza Vaccination Programme for 2006-07 will be extended until the end of February, the Department of Health says.

It provides free vaccinations to eight needy and high-risk groups.

The department ordered 390,000 doses of influenza vaccine for this year's programme, of which, about 220,000 have been administered since November 6. Fifty-thousand doses were released to the private medical sector late last month after a review of the vaccine supply to Hong Kong.