87% Of Hong Kong's Partially Vaccinated COVID-19 Deaths Received Sinovac Jab: Report

KEY POINTS

An outlet analyzed data from Hong Kong's Hospital Authority that involved 5,167 of the city's COVID-19 deaths
Around 87% of the 1,486 residents who died after receiving at least one vaccine dose were given Sinovac's shot
The remaining 3,681 deaths, or 71% of the fatalities, were unvaccinated individuals

Nearly nine out of 10 COVID-19 fatalities in Hong Kong who got at least one vaccine dose received Sinovac Biotech's shot, a report claimed.

An analysis of more than 5,000 COVID-19 deaths in Hong Kong revealed that of the 1,486 who died after receiving at least one vaccine dose, 1,292, or 87%, were given Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine, according to Fortune.

The figures came from a report by Chinese newspaper Ming Pao, which analyzed data from Hong Kong's Hospital Authority that involved 5,167 of the city's COVID-19 deaths.

The remaining 3,681 deaths, or around 71% of the coronavirus-related fatalities, were unvaccinated individuals.

Ming Pao did not disclose its sources or additional information.

Hong Kong has reported a total of 1,088,150 COVID-19 cases and 6,569 deaths, according to publicly available government data.

Most COVID-19 deaths in Hong Kong have occurred among senior citizens who were not fully vaccinated, as per Fortune.

Less than 40% of Hong Kong residents aged 80 and older were vaccinated, according to the outlet.

Hong Kong has administered 14,718,712 COVID-19 vaccine doses, data showed, with only CoronaVac and German firm BioNTech SE's Comirnaty vaccines being available to its residents.

The former is an inactivated vaccine with an adjuvant that is preferred by the elderly who believe it may have fewer side effects than the more potent mRNA immunizations from the latter.

While Sinovac's vaccine was still effective at reducing the risk of serious illness and deaths from COVID-19, it had lower efficacy than Comirnaty and offered limited protection against the virus' omicron variant, studies showed.

Many experts, including Hong Kong's top adviser on COVID-19, Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, have recommended that the elderly and children get BioNTech's vaccine due to its superior protection against omicron.

The variant is responsible for the city's current coronavirus outbreak.

Despite the recommendations, CoronaVac reportedly still makes up 60% of all of the doses administered to those aged 60 and above in Hong Kong.

However, any vaccine is still better than having no vaccine, and comparing them to one another is akin to "comparing apples to oranges," according to Dr. Shannon McDonald, acting chief medical officer of the health service organization First Nations Health Authority.

"While no vaccines provide 100% protection, all vaccines provide a better level of protection against COVID-19 than not getting a vaccine at all, or delaying getting your vaccine when you have an opportunity to get one," McDonald said in a statement.