25th July 2021 – (Hong Kong) The COVID-19 vaccination rate is still low in Hong Kong. Yuen Kwok-yeung, Chair Professor of the Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, said in a TV interview this morning (25th) that many people think that most young persons have mild symptoms after contracting COVID-19, but a 13-year-old girl from Saudi Arabia who contracted the variant virus a week earlier is in critical condition.
He emphasised that some children will experience severe inflammation, such as vasculitis. After being vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine, almost 100% infected patients can prevent severe symptoms. For example, he said that recently many infected overseas persons who are vaccinated with Comirnaty had almost no symptoms after they arrived in Hong Kong.
Yuen said that there are currently about 60 to 70 young recovered confirmed patients in Queen Mary Hospital for follow-up consultations. Many of them have olfactory disorder, for example, the smell of coffee has changed to the smell of petroleum. Some people even have hallucinations of smell for no reason, and some people’s sense of smell has not recovered for several months. He pointed out that young people should also be vaccinated against COVID-19 to prevent sequelae or severe illness. He also explained that because young people have a better immune system, they have a greater vaccine response. More than 20% of people who receive the second shot will have fever. In particular, men who exercise regularly and have a greater immune response will also have a greater risk of myocarditis.
However, the incidence of vaccine complications is 40 out of 1 million people. He described the probability as very low. Even if you have asthma, food allergies, or nasal allergies, you can still get injections, unless you have severe allergies e.g against shampoo or cosmetics, then you should consult a doctor before getting an injection. Regarding the rumours that the mRNA technology vaccine will affect fertility, he said that scientific research has confirmed that the vaccine will not affect the quality of eggs and sperm, nor will it affect breastfeeding.
For the elderly, he said: “If they are getting a flu vaccine, they should also get COVID-19 vaccine.” However, the immune system of the elderly is poor, and there is a chance that the booster will be required every 1 to 2 years.
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