Which is more popular–BioNTech or Sinovac?

April 07, 2021 11:32
Photo: HK Government

You are what you take when it comes to vaccination against Covid-19.

I estimate most people in Hong Kong are asked at least three times a day whether you would consider to take Sinovac or BioNTech vaccine.

Well, the answer could be political. One would deduct people who have confidence in China would take Sinovac, and those who have more confidence in the western countries would probably take BioNTech. People of younger age tend to prefer BioNTech rather than Sinovac, according to my unofficial observation.

Of course, where you plan to go might also determine which vaccine you would take. There are as many people who fancy going to China as people who want to go to the five-eye alliance – whether it is for tourism or for good.

Many people would agree that before the details of vaccine passport are released, people are likely on the sideline. For instance, unless Japan, Hongkongers’ favourite holiday destination, would announce which vaccine they accept for travelling, many probably won’t be able to make up their mind.

So for now, it is understandable why the vaccination rate in Hong Kong is behind other countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, not to mention Israel.

Around half a million Hong Kong people are vaccinated, or roughly 20 per cent of the total population who can receive vaccination, according to the blog of Sophia Chan, Secretary for Food and Health.

That would be a long way to go before the goal of herd immunity can be achieved, which demands an estimated vaccination rate of about 70 percent.

It might be a goal too hard to reach, given the Universal Community Testing Programme last September attracted only 1.78 million people, or about one in four people in the city.

As of April 5th, some 487,000 Hong Kong people were vaccinated, out of which 90,200 have taken the second jab. Among the first jabs, 330,400 opted for Sinovac while 156,600 for BioNTech.

While it is difficult to predict what the eventual vaccination rate will be, it seems that BioNTech is getting more popular after it was briefly suspended because of packaging defects.

More than 11,000 people took the BioNTech vaccine against the coronavirus when distribution resumed this Monday, 23 per cent more than the 9,500 who took Sinovac on the same day, according to local reports.

When it comes to booking, some 12,800 signed up for BioNTech on Monday, five times the number of people who signed up for Sinovac.

Up to Monday, some 18 per cent of people taking the second jab of Sinovac failed to show up because it is generally believed the side effect of the second jab is more serious than the first one.

So far 14 people were dead after taking vaccination. Twelve was linked to Sinovac and two for BioNTech, although the government experts said none of them was directly related to the vaccine.

To vaccinate or not vaccinate, that is a personal question.

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EJ Insight writer