HONG KONG and Macao residents who are working or living on the Chinese mainland are now eligible for free COVID-19 vaccinations in mainland cities, the State Council’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism said yesterday.

They can use either mainland residential permits issued by public security authorities or proof of mainland medical insurance programs to get vaccinated for free on a voluntary basis, and they will enjoy the same policy support as mainland residents, according to a notice released on the website of the National Health Commission.

“Teachers and students from Hong Kong and Macao now working and studying on the mainland will be treated equally to their mainland counterparts,” the notice said.

They are also entitled to the same treatment and reimbursement policies as mainland residents if showing adverse reaction after inoculation, it added.

Currently, all mainland residents cleared for use of COVID-19 vaccines can get vaccinated for free, and some cities have begun offering vaccines to expats.

About 502,500 Hong Kong residents have taken the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine in the special administrative region (SAR), official data showed.

The Hong Kong SAR Government has said some 113,000 people have been fully vaccinated under the mass inoculation program starting Feb. 26.

Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection reported eight new confirmed cases yesterday, including two untraceable local infections. There were also 10 preliminary positive cases, mostly imported. The COVID-19 tally stood at 11,539 in Hong Kong.

(China Daily, Xinhua)