London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing politicians to get mainland Covid-19 jab this week

Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing politicians to get mainland Covid-19 jab this week

Some 200 members of the political bloc are bound for Shenzhen on Friday for first of two Sinopharm doses.

About 200 pro-Beijing politicians from Hong Kong are set to travel to mainland China on Friday for a Covid-19 vaccination, the Post has learned, weeks before the city’s most vulnerable residents are expected to start receiving jabs.

Authorities over the border are offering Sinopharm doses to the politicians as part of the pandemic precautions for the plenary sessions of China’s legislature and its top advisory body in March.

Those to be vaccinated in Shenzhen include the 36 local delegates to the National People’s Congress (NPC) and some 200 members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

About 140 of them were tested for the coronavirus on Wednesday afternoon at the offices of the pro-Beijing Friends of Hong Kong Association, under the mainland bid to avoid the spread of infection at two of China’s major political gatherings.

Among those tested were CPPCC delegates Dr Ko Wing-man, Andy Tsang Wai-hung and Charles Ho Tsu-kwok, and NPC deputy Bernard Chan.

Also screened was NPC deputy Maria Tam Wai-chu, who is now a vice-chairwoman of the Basic Law Committee which advises the Chinese legislatures on matters related to Hong Kong’s mini-constitution.

Asked about the vaccination plan, Tam declined to comment on whether the deputies were involved, but said the testing element was part of mainland authorities’ strict measures against Covid-19.

“Thousands of delegates will be gathering at the Great Hall of the People in March … So this is a chance for us to get well prepared ahead of the meetings,” she said.

Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the NPC’s Standing Committee (NPCSC), said he received his first dose of the vaccine developed by state-owned Sinopharm on Wednesday, as he was in Beijing to attend the meeting of China’s top legislative body, which ends on Friday.

“I will take my second dose next month,” he said. “There’s no side effect. The medical personnel told me to rest for 30 minutes before leaving, and reminded me that even if I feel unwell, as if I got a cold, or there’s some redness [on my arm], ‘it’s okay, it will go away in two or three days’.”

Tam, of the NPCSC, also said he had asked if Beijing authorities could give Hong Kong more mainland vaccines, adding he was awaiting their reply.

Sources said the local delegates would gather again outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on Friday, where coaches would pick them up and take them across the border to Shenzhen for the first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine. The firm previously said its vaccine had an efficacy rate of 79 per cent.

They would travel again to Shenzhen in early February for the second dose, a source added.

Further tests would be conducted in mid-February to ensure the delegates had developed antibodies, before they travelled to Beijing in March for the plenary sessions.

The source said the delegates were told to keep a low profile about the vaccines given the political sensitivities of being immunised ahead of the public.

Hong Kong’s inoculation drive is not expected to launch before Lunar New Year in mid-February. A government advisory panel this week recommended the approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in Hong Kong, with the final decision resting with the health secretary.

The CPPCC’s annual session starts on March 4, a day before the opening of the NPC’s plenary session. A major task of both events will be to scrutinise China’s 14th five-year plan.

CPPCC delegate Eliza Chan Ching-har said she hoped that Hong Kong people could also receive inoculations soon.

“Arrangements for us to have vaccines as soon as possible would be great so that Hong Kong people can return to normal life and cross-boundary activities and businesses can resume quickly and gradually,” she said.

“If all CPPCC and NPC members could have the vaccines well in advance, it can also ensure that the two important annual meetings can be held safely and smoothly in March.”

Bernard Chan said the local deputies to the NPC were prepared for getting vaccinated. “We will be vaccinated sooner or later in Hong Kong or in the mainland, so I have no problem with that,” he said.

Hong Kong has reached purchase agreements for three vaccines, procuring 7.5 million doses of each type.

Aside from the Pfizer-BioNTech jabs, supplied by mainland firm Fosun Pharmaceutical, the city has also procured Beijing-based Sinovac’s vaccine and one jointly developed by British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
×