Four people in Hong Kong fell ill, including two who had to be put in intensive care, after recently receiving their Chinese vaccine Sinovac shots.

This means a total of 15 people have sought medical attention after receiving the vaccines over the past week, according to the government. Some 83,400 people had been vaccinated with the mainland-produced jabs as of Saturday, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

The two people, who were sent to intensive care, had underlying diseases and felt severely ill after receiving their Sinovac jabs, the Department of Health said.

The Sinovac vaccine, which was produced by Chinese drugmaker Sinovac Biotech, is 50.4 per cent effective in preventing COVID-19 with symptoms ranging from mild to severe, according to the institute. Experts have raised questions about the effectiveness of the vaccine.

An 80-year-old man was in critical condition after receiving his vaccine at a centre in Tin Shui Wai last Monday. After feeling unwell, he sought medical treatment at Caritas Medical Centre in Sham Shui Po, where he was transferred to the intensive care unit on Saturday.

Another 72-year-old woman with a history of various illnesses, including diabetes, felt discomfort after receiving her shot at a centre in Tseung Kwan O.

She skipped two doses of her insulin medication after feeling weak and found her general health worsened on Sunday morning. She was later admitted to the intensive care unit at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin and was found to have developed serious diabetic problems.

Hong Kong launched its vaccination scheme in late February with the Sinovac shots. About 83,400 city residents received their first doses of the vaccine between February 22 and March 6. The city received its first batch of 585,000 BioNTech vaccine on February 27.

Yesterday, Hong Kong health authorities have revealed that a chronically ill woman who had received the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine died after suffering a stroke.

Source: ANI 

BDST: 1735 HRS, MAR 09, 2021
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