Last Monday Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor led her team to take the second shot of Sinovac under the full glare of the media. Like many other government publicity stunts, it flopped.

The event took place at the Central Government Offices(CGO), which were turned into a make-shift vaccination centre. Two medical staff members were assigned to administer the jab for each high official. In contrast, an ordinary citizen is served as efficiently by just one in any injection venue. This has left an unnecessary negative impression that the vaccination procedures for the general public are somehow inferior to those for the privileged.

Like other designated centres, the CGO was complete with a sick bay where seats were set at 1.5 meters apart for observing people’s reaction after they have taken the jab. Two policy secretaries were seen literally putting their heads together for a selfie with friendly legislators sitting at the sick bay. In the background was a conspicuous poster declaring “No photography.” The incriminating image went viral within minutes.

Legislative Councillor Ben Chan Han-pan of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong was visibly excited. He had been streaming live from the scene. Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen and Secretary for Food and Health Dr. Sophia Chan Siu-chee, who oversee the vaccination program, looked like having fun posing for Chan.

They were questioned why they had violated the house rule set by themselves.

Nip clarified on Facebook that the occasion was meant to promote vaccination against COVID-19. It was opened to the press and photos were allowed. Nip’s justification sounds legitimate but appears to be an afterthought. Otherwise, the notice should not have been on display in the first place. What he did not explain was why they had to defy the social distancing measure in the observation area too even for the sake of publicity.

The incident may seem trivial in the bigger context of Hong Kong’s fight against the pandemic. Yet, it certainly does not inspire public confidence at a critical juncture when the vaccination program needs to be boosted.

When the 29 community injection centres closed on Wednesday, 412,800 persons have received their first doses of either one of the two vaccines on offer. That represents a 6.4 percent pick-up rate, which was lower than desired. Vaccination of Sinovac started from February 26, while BioNTech was available from March 10. At this rate, it may take about 300 more days before the city achieves a state of herd immunity.

Vaccination plays a vital role in the official strategy to contain the coronavirus. According to the Hong Kong University’s School of Public Health, the real-time reproductive number of local cases stood at 0.6956 as of March 16. That means every ten infected patients will go on to infect on average about seven others. The figure peaked at 3.0149 last November 15. If the level is kept substantially below one over the course of two to three weeks, it suggests that fewer people are being infected and the outbreak is ebbing over time.

Vaccination is one way to lower the number. The government is eager to extend the priority list for vaccination to embrace all 6.5 million residents aged 16 or above who are fit to be vaccinated. It now covers citizens aged 30 or above. The program has so far been marred by controversies.

Officials have asked people to consult their own doctors on whether they should go for the jab. And if so, which one of the two. Physicians have complained that they are only in a position to offer general advice. Many residents simply do not have access to a doctor for this purpose. For those who have, they are often frustrated by their ambiguous advice.

The medical profession has asked the authorities for a detailed set of guidelines. Officials have assured that such instructions are forthcoming. At present, doctors can only rely on a 11-point Interim Guidance Notes On Common Medical Diseases and COVID-19 Vaccination In Primary Care Settings issued on March 15.

Meanwhile, officials have repeatedly lashed out at some medical workers for smearing the China-made Sinovac. The Hospital Authority Employee Alliance, on the other hand, insists that scientific data has established that BioNTech is indeed more effective than Sinovac. They say there are not sufficient third stage clinical data from the latter specifically on the elderly.

The vaccination program hit another snag at dawn on Wednesday when BioNTech’s agent Fosun Pharma confirmed that their first consignment for Hong Kong was flawed with packaging defects. The doses have to be withheld until further notice. The public first heard about the fact that 57 doses had been discarded because of defective packaging only after the suspension. There was considerable confusion for those who had shown up at the injection centres.

As things now stand, citizens’ trust in the government vaccination program can hardly be described as solid. Attention to details is paramount in earning public confidence. That includes not taking selfie at a wrong time in an inappropriate location.

(Andy Ho is a public affairs consultant. A former political editor of the South China Morning Post, he served as Information Coordinator at the Chief Executive’s Office of the HKSAR Government from 2006 to 2012.)

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