People from mainland China are rushing to Hong Kong, Macao, and Singapore to obtain vaccines based on messenger RNA (mRNA), which the Xi Jinping government has not yet approved. In terms of preventing infection and serious complications, Western mRNA vaccines have been found to be more effective than Chinese jabs.
People from the mainland are rushing to Hong Kong and Macao to get mRNA vaccines as COVID-19 infections spread throughout China.
This comes as the Asian superpower has yet to approve Western-developed mainland-based messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that the coronavirus vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer in the United States are 95% effective.
Let’s take a look at the ways in which Chinese people have been flocking to Hong Kong, Macau, and even Singapore in search of these mRNA vaccines that are very effective.
Hong Kong As China eliminates its mandatory quarantine policy upon arrival on the mainland, an increasing number of Chinese leave the country.
Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, and Thailand are the most popular destinations for these travelers, according to Trip.com Group bookings. According to CNN’s report, the most popular destinations for long-haul flights are the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Since their nation’s borders have been reopened after three years, some people leave their homes not only for vacation but also for other reasons.
The BioNTech/Pfizer mRNA vaccine has not been approved by the mainland, but residents of Hong Kong and Macau have had access to it for free.
The first group of mainlanders arrived at the private hospital Virtus Medical Centre in Hong Kong on Thursday (12 January), according to Reuters.
A customer told the news agency that she paid HK$ 1,888 ($241) for her first BioNTech COVID-19 booster dose after receiving three doses of the domestic vaccine in China.
Due to the reopening of the border, I was very tempted to get the vaccine. According to Reuters, 36-year-old Beijing resident Yoyo Liang said, “There is no bivalent vaccine available in mainland Chin.”
Samuel Kwok, Virtus’s chief medical officer, stated that his company has received over 300 inquiries regarding the vaccines and that they anticipate the arrival of additional mainlanders in Hong Kong in the near future.
CNBC reports that a man from Shaanxi province posted the following a week ago on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter: “It’s been long since I went to Hong Kong.” I can get vaccinated and go on vacation. Will this not accomplish two goals at once? I’m getting ready for my appointment without saying any more.
According to Sam Radwan, president of the management consulting firm Enhance International, Hong Kong is the “natural first destination of the Chinese vaccine tourism,” as he stated to CNBC.
He continued, “It will then spread to Asia and the US, possibly even to Europe.”
According to Financial Times, a state-owned Hong Kong bank called China Citic Bank Corporation is offering one shot of an mRNA vaccine to customers who deposit at least HK$40,00,000 (512,200) into an account.
According to Financial Times, travel company Easson Holdings is also offering vaccine trips to Hong Kong in packages that include hotel and plane reservations as well as transportation to vaccine clinics.
Hong Kong has stated that short-term travelers will not receive complimentary COVID vaccinations. In addition, in order to receive a booster dose, visitors must remain for at least 30 days.
According to CNBC, officials from the Hong Kong government stated, “We will not offer government procured vaccines free of charge to non-Hong Kong residents.” “We want to prevent visitors coming to Hong Kong to use the vaccines at the expense of Hong Kong people.”
Other destinations In recent months, vaccine trips to Macao have also been made by mainland Chinese.
However, according to CNBC, the next available slots at the Macau University of Science and Technology Hospital—the sole facility offering vaccinations to tourists—will be available in February.
Financial Times reported at the end of December, citing a customer service representative at the Macau hospital, that the phone had been ringing “nonstop” since the COVID outbreak in China started to spread.
In mainland China, vaccine tourists can also go to Singapore and Thailand.
According to CNBC, Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister stated last month that he was considering a proposal to provide foreigners who request booster shots with free vaccines.
Since Beijing relaxed its travel restrictions, healthcare providers in Singapore have also noticed an increase in inquiries from Chinese visitors regarding COVID vaccines.
