Hong Kong recorded 58 deaths and 14 miscarriages in close to three months of implementing a coronavirus vaccination program, health authorities said in seeking to reassure residents that the rate of abnormalities was lower than normal.

The official data also included 176 cases of stroke and 62 cases of heart attack among people who had received a COVID-19 jab. Authorities said the figures were below the normal level compared with statistics in the unvaccinated population.

No evidence suggested that the injection would increase the risk of death or miscarriage, Undersecretary for Food and Health Chui Tak-yi said.

Health officials gave a breakdown of the 2,890 post-vaccination adverse events reported in the 80 days since they rolled out the free immunization plan in mid-February amid the fourth COVID-19 outbreak of the city.

More than 2 million doses had been administered, of which 1.9 million people had the first dose and 816,000 had the second one, Chui said.

The number of 1.9 million accounted for 18.2% of the population above 16 years old, he said.

Participation in the city’s COVID-19 inoculation program has remained sluggish despite the government’s persistent efforts to encourage residents.

A better vaccination rate would help the city restart economic activities and facilitate talks of bilateral travel, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau told legislators in March.

On Monday, Hong Kong and Singapore put their travel bubble on hold for the second time after the latter saw a sharp resurgence in untraceable COVID-19 cases involving the more deadly B.1.617 Indian variant. Original plans were for the travel bubble to start on May 26.

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