Health

Successful COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a major public health problem and vaccination becomes a critical measure to control such a pandemic. While the rapid development of vaccines against COVID‑19 is an extraordinary scientific achievement, the vaccination campaign at the HKUST campus was challenging. This article summarises the University's efforts in proactive communication and extensive engagement with its members and other stakeholders.

PAO’s Pro-Vaccine posters across the campus.

Vaccination of First-Phase Priority Groups at Campus Medical Clinic

The Campus Medical Clinic is one of the private clinics participating in the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme under the Hong Kong Government Vaccination Subsidy Scheme. In the beginning of March 2021, the Government tried to prioritize the use of Sinovac vaccines in the context of limited supply and defined a number of first-phase Priority Groups including personnel in healthcare settings, those participating in anti-epidemic related research works, and teaching and support staff for vaccination. The Clinic and HSEO set up an online pre-enrollment system for eligible members of the University to arrange vaccination appointments. Between March and June 2021, the Clinic had administered more than 400 doses of Sinovac vaccines to benefit more than 200 members.

Government Outreach Vaccination on Campus

The HKUST was the first university in Hong Kong to participate in the Government outreach vaccination program. The Government sent medical teams from the Quality HealthCare Medical Services Limited and Bamboos Professional Nursing Services Limited to our campus to administer Sinovac vaccines and the BioNTech vaccines respectively. HSEO organized the program with DSTO, CMO, ISO and ITSC by creating an online booking system to manage vaccination appointments and setting up booths, information zones and resting areas at the S. H. Ho Sports Hall for the program to take place. A total of about 800 members, including students, staff, staff families and domestic helpers, and regular service contractors on campus, received either the Sinovac vaccines or the BioNTech vaccines on 23 or 24 June (first dose) and 21 or 22 July (second dose).

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr. Patrick Nip, visited our campus on the first day of outreach vaccination program on-campus on 23 June 2021. During the visit, he met with our former Vice-President for Administration and Business, Mr. Mark Hodgson, Associate Vice-President for Planning and Coordination, Mr. Ernest Chan, Director of Health, Safety and Environment, Prof. Samuel Yu, and Director of Campus Management, Mr. Alex Cheung. After they viewed the administering of COVID-19 vaccines to members of the University, Mr. Nip also met with our President, Prof Wei Shyy.

The Government outreach vaccination on campus took place at the S. H. Ho Sports Hall.

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr. Patrick Nip (centre), visited HKUST to view the administering of COVID-19 vaccines on campus. (Source of digital image: www.info.gov.hk, press release dated 23 June 2021)

During the visit, Mr. Patrick Nip (centre) met with the President of HKUST, Prof. Wei Shyy (left), and the former Vice-President for Administration and Business, Mr. Mark Hodgson (right). (Source of digital image: www.info.gov.hk, press release dated 23 June 2021).

The former Vice-President for Administration and Business, Mr. Mark Hodgson (second right) explained the setup of the Sports Hall to Mr. Patrick Nip (second left) in the presence of Associate Vice-President for Planning and Coordination, Mr. Ernest Chan (first left), and Director of Health, Safety and Environment, Prof. Samuel Yu (first right). (Source of digital image: www.info.gov.hk, press release dated 23 June 2021)

Webinars about COVID-19 Vaccination

HSEO organized a couple of webinars on "Lightning-fast quest for COVID-19 vaccines: safety and efficacy" with external speaker, Mr. Alex Wong from Fosun Pharma, a biotechnology company which is BioNTech's partner in Greater China including Hong Kong and Macau. The webinars were held on 13 May and 11 June 2021, and attracted a total of about 150 attendees. In the webinars, information including mechanism of action, safety, and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines used in Hong Kong was covered and the attendees’ questions were answered live by the speaker.

Webinars about COVID-19 Vaccination

Survey on COVID-19 Vaccination Status

During summer 2021, the HKUST was grappling with choices around reopening and resuming in-person teaching for the Fall semester, whilst ensuring the safety of staff, faculty and students in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. HSEO conducted a short anonymous "Survey on COVID-19 Vaccination Status" and organised with HRO and ARO to invite 800 randomly selected staff and students to participate in order to estimate vaccine coverage levels at the University. Participation in the survey was completely voluntary and a Starbucks Gift Voucher was given out as a small token of appreciation to each of the 350 respondents who returned the survey.

"Survey on COVID-19 Vaccination Status" results at the end of July 2021.

The survey results by the end of July 2021 indicated that more than 80% of the respondents had received a full course or one dose of vaccination, or intended to get vaccinated, which turned out to align with the real data collected by Vaccination / Testing Reporting System (VTRS) at the beginning of the Fall semester.

Free Shuttle and Group Booking to Facilitate Vaccination at Community Vaccination Centre

HSEO and CSO organised a trial of free shuttle service to operate for three afternoons between 13 to 15 July 2021 from campus to the Community Vaccination Centre (CVC) at the Tseung Kwan O Sports Centre. Interested members of the University booked for their own vaccination appointments via the Government website and then made use of the free rides to get BioNTech vaccination at the CVC.

At the beginning of the Fall semester, HSEO liaised with Civil Service Bureau to make a special Group Booking arrangement which allowed non-local students and staff of HKUST to book for BioNTech vaccination at the Tseung Kwan O Sports Centre CVC. New HKUST members who do not hold a HKID Card could bypass the need to go to post offices to make vaccination appointments beforehand. Instead, they could go to the CVC directly as a group, using the free shuttle organized by HSEO and CSO, and received vaccination from 20 to 24 September for the first dose and 11 to 15 October for the second dose. The free shuttle and Group Booking arrangements benefited more than 30 members.

Free shuttle bus to the Community Vaccination Centre at Tseung Kwan O.

Vaccination / Regular Testing Requirements and VTRS for Fall Semester

To return to the ideals of our community and resume normal teaching and learning and other campus activities in the Fall semester, the University encourages all students, faculty, staff, and contractors working on campus to get vaccinated. If anyone cannot be vaccinated for medical or personal reasons, regular COVID-19 testing is required. Starting 1 September 2021, HKUST members are required to present a valid electronic Campus Access Pass (CAP) for accessing campus upon fulfilment of the vaccination / regular testing requirements with records submitted to the Vaccination / Testing Reporting System (VTRS) developed by ISO.

HSEO assisted VPABO in establishing implementation rules, acquisition and distribution of rapid test kits, arrangement with the Campus Medical Clinic to provide an extra helper to review submitted vaccination and testing records, collaboration with CMO-Security in campus access control, and with ISO in ensuring smooth running of the VTRS. HSEO also helped PAO promote their Pro-Vaccine posters and messages on the COVID-19 Info @HKUST website.

The records submitted to the VTRS in September 2021 confirmed that more than 90% of our students and staff had received a full course of COVID-19 vaccination which indicated a very successful COVID-19 vaccination campaign at the HKUST campus.

Mr. Alan Hui (left) and Mr. Thomas Leung (right) of ISO, the core members of the VTRS development team.

A counter was set up outside the LG1 Sports Hall for distribution of free COVID-19 rapid test kits to students and staff who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.