Omicron-targeting jabs available next week in Hong Kong for mainlanders booking with Chinese vaccine distributor, as private clinics charge up to HK$2,800

Starting next week, mainland customers who booked online with the Chinese distributor of BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccines will able to receive their Omicron-targeting jabs in Hong Kong, as prices citywide reached as high as HK$2,800 (US$358) for a single dose.

But private hospitals on Monday said they were uncertain whether enough travellers would take advantage of the border reopening and travel to the city, even to take a vaccine not available in mainland China.

Advertisements for private clinics offering the bivalent vaccine have flooded mainland social media platforms after Hong Kong authorities earlier made it clear that arrivals from over the border staying for fewer than 30 days were not eligible for a free booster jab. Residents can take the shots at government-run clinics free of charge.

The Post observed that some individual medical centres were offering the jab to mainlanders at steep prices, with one clinic charging up to HK$2,800.

Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group, the national distributor of BioNTech’s vaccines, now offers appointments on the Chinese messaging app WeChat and charges a 299 yuan (US$44) booking fee before showing the available clinics, the price to receive a single jab or the open time slots.

As of Monday, the earliest available booking date was January 17, with the service offered at seven clinics in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay for between HK$1,500 and HK$1,900 per jab. Only 32 spots were still vacant by 5pm.

According to the platform, the targeted vaccine was only available for those aged 18 and above who are already fully inoculated against Covid-19. Anyone who had contracted the virus could take the jab three to six months after recovery.