Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Dec 5, 2024 3:54:14 GMT
Hong Kong residents reticent to get latest Covid-19 jab, Moderna survey finds - Published Dec 4, 2024
By Xinmei Shen
Hong Kong residents’ willingness in taking the latest Covid-19 vaccine is lower than in Singapore, but higher compared with other Asian markets, according to a new survey by US pharmaceutical giant Moderna, which called on vulnerable groups to get inoculated.
Moderna found 52 per cent of Hong Kong respondents said they were willing to get the updated vaccine when it becomes available, while 58 per cent of those surveyed in Singapore were inclined to take the latest jab, according to the findings published last week.
The survey, which involved 5,032 respondents across five markets in Asia, also found a reluctance to get the latest vaccine in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan – with results of 49 per cent, 39 per cent and 29 per cent, respectively.
While Moderna touted in its findings the importance of getting inoculated again, the survey results indicate a “growing complacency” even as coronavirus variants continue to evolve.
Receiving an updated jab is “essential” to defend against the contagious disease and the impact of symptoms that have come to be known as long Covid, according to Moderna medical affairs vice-president Piyali Mukherjee in a statement.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Moderna has been expanding its presence across Asia, including in Hong Kong and mainland China, to tap the region’s vast healthcare market.
Moderna last year set up a branch in Hong Kong, which the company said would support the delivery of its mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccines and therapeutics in the city and Macau, as well as lead in partnerships for developing new vaccines that are needed in Asia.
The firm’s vaccines use a copy of the mRNA molecule, which corresponds to the genetic sequence of a gene, to carry instructions for proteins to produce an immune response.
Last year, Moderna agreed to invest 3.6 billion yuan (US$494 million) to build the initial phase of its first plant in China, according to the Shanghai municipal government
The Hong Kong government last month said the latest mRNA vaccines for JN.1 – currently the most prevalent coronavirus variant globally – had arrived in the city. These include Moderna’s Spikevax JN.1 and Pfizer’s Comirnaty JN.1 vaccines.
While the World Health Organization in April said the public health risk posed by JN.1 was low at the global level, Hong Kong’s health authorities urged high-risk groups to receive a booster dose.
By Xinmei Shen
Hong Kong residents’ willingness in taking the latest Covid-19 vaccine is lower than in Singapore, but higher compared with other Asian markets, according to a new survey by US pharmaceutical giant Moderna, which called on vulnerable groups to get inoculated.
Moderna found 52 per cent of Hong Kong respondents said they were willing to get the updated vaccine when it becomes available, while 58 per cent of those surveyed in Singapore were inclined to take the latest jab, according to the findings published last week.
The survey, which involved 5,032 respondents across five markets in Asia, also found a reluctance to get the latest vaccine in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan – with results of 49 per cent, 39 per cent and 29 per cent, respectively.
While Moderna touted in its findings the importance of getting inoculated again, the survey results indicate a “growing complacency” even as coronavirus variants continue to evolve.
Receiving an updated jab is “essential” to defend against the contagious disease and the impact of symptoms that have come to be known as long Covid, according to Moderna medical affairs vice-president Piyali Mukherjee in a statement.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Moderna has been expanding its presence across Asia, including in Hong Kong and mainland China, to tap the region’s vast healthcare market.
Moderna last year set up a branch in Hong Kong, which the company said would support the delivery of its mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccines and therapeutics in the city and Macau, as well as lead in partnerships for developing new vaccines that are needed in Asia.
The firm’s vaccines use a copy of the mRNA molecule, which corresponds to the genetic sequence of a gene, to carry instructions for proteins to produce an immune response.
Last year, Moderna agreed to invest 3.6 billion yuan (US$494 million) to build the initial phase of its first plant in China, according to the Shanghai municipal government
The Hong Kong government last month said the latest mRNA vaccines for JN.1 – currently the most prevalent coronavirus variant globally – had arrived in the city. These include Moderna’s Spikevax JN.1 and Pfizer’s Comirnaty JN.1 vaccines.
While the World Health Organization in April said the public health risk posed by JN.1 was low at the global level, Hong Kong’s health authorities urged high-risk groups to receive a booster dose.