Hong Kong’s 2026/27 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programme will begin on September 17, as the Centre for Health Protection says influenza activity remains high or at peak levels. Officials are urging eligible residents to get vaccinated promptly.
Priority will continue to be given to high-risk groups, including children, older adults and people with chronic illnesses. Officials say vaccination can help reduce severe illness, complications, hospitalisation and deaths.
Vaccination will be available through Hospital Authority general outpatient clinics and public hospitals, 45 Primary Healthcare Department service points and more than 1,900 private-sector service points. Additional Department of Health clinics and maternal and child health centres will serve eligible infants.
About 99% of schools have joined the School Outreach Programme. Parents can register children through the eHealth electronic consent system, and officials hope school-based activities will begin in mid-September and finish by mid-December.
Ming Pao reported 11 serious influenza cases among children so far this season, including one death and eight recoveries, alongside 415 serious adult cases and 263 deaths. Officials cited by the newspaper said the risk of serious complications was about four times higher among unvaccinated older adults and five times higher among unvaccinated children; i-CABLE also reported the fivefold risk for children.
Vaccination coverage among young people improved last season, reaching 64.8% among those aged six months to 17 or 18 years. Coverage was 75.7% among primary-school children, while coverage among secondary-school or 12-to-18-year-old groups was about 61.4%. However, coverage among people aged 65 or above fell slightly to 49.4%, while RTHK reported rates of 27% among infants aged six months to two years and 8.3% among adults aged 18 to 49 with chronic illnesses.
The government said it was working with multiple suppliers or wholesalers to improve supply stability and flexibility and allow the programme to start earlier despite possible delays from some suppliers. Eligible residents are expected to arrange vaccination through the available public, school or private-sector channels from September 17.