kakase/hk_gov_press_release huggingface dataset:
SCS attends COVID-19 vaccination event to appeal for vaccination of the young and old (with photos)
30.10.2022

âThe Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, attended a COVID-19 vaccination event in Yau Tsim Mong District today (October 30) to thank the public for their support for vaccination. She also took the opportunity to urge the public to encourage their friends and family members to get vaccinated, in particular the elderly and children who are unvaccinated. Mrs Yeung said, "With the concerted efforts from all sectors of the community, the third dose vaccination rate of elderly persons aged 70 or above has risen to slightly above 70 per cent. As for young children aged below three, their first dose vaccination rate stays only at 18 per cent. I hope that more parents would actively arrange vaccination for their children. We need much more support from the elderly and parents to achieve building a sound protective barrier for Hong Kong. If people rush to receive the jab only when there is a rebound of the epidemic situation, taking into account that it takes around two weeks after the date of vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body, there may not be sufficient time to allow the vaccine to take effect. We should not underestimate the harm bought about by the COVID-19 virus. In the fifth wave of the epidemic, nine children aged below 11 who were confirmed to have infected with the COVID-19 virus have passed away. Elderly persons also have a relatively higher chance to suffer from more serious illness should they get infected, and they may have after-effects after recovery." The COVID-19 vaccination event in Yau Tsim Mong District is co-organised by the Yau Tsim Mong District Office, the Yau Tsim Mong Healthy City Executive Committee, the Yau Tsim Mong District School Liaison Committee and Medical Conscience. Mrs Yeung hoped that District Offices, school heads associations and oragnisations from various districts could maintain their efforts to promote COVID-19 vaccination.
Transcript of remarks by SCS
28.10.2022

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, at a media session after attending a radio programme to elaborate on initiatives in "The Chief Executive's 2022 Policy Address" this morning (October 28): Reporter: Secretary, is there a timeline for updating the Civil Service Code? And, about the government-wide mobilisation, how big will the scale be and under what circumstances will the Government have to mobilise this? Secretary for the Civil Service: For the Civil Service Code, we are aiming to issue a draft revised Code to the staff side for consultation in the first quarter of next year. If everything goes smooth, we hope this revised Code will be finalised within the first half of next year. As for the mobilisation, we are aiming at mobilising staff up to tens of thousands for mega incidents that require a lot of staff input, a lot of immediate staff response. We are hoping to be able to do some drills in the first quarter of next year. Personally, I do hope we never have to trigger such a mobilisation as it will mean very major incidences, major emergencies for Hong Kong. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Civil Service College holds 10th talk of series on country's foreign affairs (with photo)
26.10.2022

The Civil Service College held the 10th talk of the series on the country's foreign affairs jointly with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) today (October 26). The talk, on the topic of "Safeguarding China's Rights and Interests Overseas", was delivered via video-conferencing by Deputy Director-General of the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr Zhang Yang. Addressing the talk, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said, "In the face of a complex and ever-changing international environment and emerging global challenges, the motherland has always been our strong backing. No matter what conditions, difficulties and dangers Chinese citizens and enterprises encounter overseas, the country will lend a helping hand promptly and provide us with comprehensive and thoughtful consular services." Mrs Yeung said that as an international city backed by the motherland and connected to the world, Hong Kong has close networking with different parts of the world in various fields. The HKSAR Government has also set up 14 Economic and Trade Offices overseas. Hong Kong enterprises participate actively in international co-operation, and Hong Kong residents frequently travel abroad. There is a need for civil servants to acquire a deeper understanding of the efforts made by Chinese consuls in protecting the country's rights and interests overseas, and further enhance their understanding of consular work, so as to enable them to act in better concert with the country's foreign affairs policy in handling the relevant areas of work. The series on the country's foreign affairs is a key training initiative designed for directorate and senior civil servants. Monthly talks on different topics and delivered by relevant officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been held since January this year. Over 200 civil servants in the directorate and senior ranks took part in today's talk through online access.
SCS appeals for timely COVID-19 vaccination (with photos)
22.10.2022

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, today (October 22) attended a two-day vaccination event in Kowloon City District at Hung Hom Community Hall to encourage members of the public, in particular the elderly and children, to receive appropriate doses of COVID-19 vaccine on time. Mrs Yeung said, "Boosting vaccination rate is one of the policy initiatives in 'The Chief Executive's 2022 Policy Address'. We will strive to expand the network of vaccination facilities and set up vaccination venues at locations with convenient transportation or high patronage to provide convenience to members of the public in receiving COVID-19 vaccination. In fact, the number of Private Clinic COVID-19 Vaccination Stations have been increased to 26 from September to the present and the Community Vaccination Stations at Lai Chi Kok Park and Wong Tai Sin Temple Square have commenced operation. Members of the public can register online for free vaccination services. Meanwhile, we are rolling out a new series of promotion and publicity to encourage early vaccination of elderly aged above 70 and children aged below 12 so as to build a sound protective barrier for Hong Kong." "Early vaccination can provide early protection. The weather is getting cold and the COVID-19 virus could be more active in winter and have an increased transmission in the community. For elderly persons or children who are unvaccinated or have yet to receive suitable doses of vaccine in a timely manner, they will have a higher chance of getting seriously ill should they get infected. Elderly persons should act for the sake of their health and parents should not wait further, they should arrange for early vaccination for themselves and their children respectively," she added. The vaccination event in Kowloon City District is co-organised by Kowloon City District Resident Association and the Kowloon City District Office. It provides the Sinovac vaccination services to persons aged 6 months or above today while the BioNTech vaccination services to persons aged 12 or above will be provided tomorrow (October 23). Mrs Yeung thanked the organisers for their effort to promote vaccination to residents at district level. The designated website for the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme ( www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/programme ) provides the latest information including details on vaccination venues, reservations and enquiry hotlines.
SCS elaborates on Policy Address initiatives to civil servants
19.10.2022

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, wrote to civil service colleagues soon after the delivery of "The Chief Executive's 2022 Policy Address" today (October 19). She also met with representatives from the four civil service central consultative councils and the four major service-wide staff unions this afternoon to brief them on policy initiatives relating to civil service matters in the Policy Address. Entitled "Enhancing Civil Service Management for a Brighter Tomorrow", Mrs Yeung's letter to civil service colleagues outlined the policy initiatives of enhancing civil service management and training. She said, "As the backbone of the Government, civil servants must have a clear understanding of the Government's policy objectives and directions. To this end, I communicated with civil servants right after the delivery of the Policy Address. I hope that, through interactions, they can learn about the policy directions and related measures, with a view to further improving governance, actively supporting the Chief Executive in the administration of Hong Kong, building a bright future and starting a new chapter for Hong Kong together. "Initiatives relating to the governance and management of the civil service in the Policy Address include updating the Civil Service Code to clearly spell out the core values and standards of conduct that present-day civil servants should uphold. We will also strengthen the reward and punishment systems, and enhance the mobilisation protocol and training for civil servants. I encourage civil servants to familiarise themselves with the initiatives set out in the Policy Address, approach their work with commitment and courage in the face of challenges and achieve the aim of responding to aspirations from the people of Hong Kong."
SCS encourages school children to receive COVID-19 vaccination (with photos)
8.10.2022

âThe Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, today (October 8) attended the Wan Chai District Student Vaccination Day at SKH St James' Primary School to encourage school children and parents to receive COVID-19 vaccination together. It is anticipated that about 170 persons will get vaccinated through the vaccination day event today. "The Wan Chai District Headmasters' Conference, the Wan Chai District School Development Section of the Education Bureau and the Wan Chai District Office jointly organise this event so that school children and their family members from the district can get vaccinated together and schools can further build up their protective barriers. This is a triple-win situation for the schools, parents and students, and it will be safer for students to get vaccinated before taking part in school activities. I encourage more districts to organise similar vaccination events for school children," Mrs Yeung said. "To promote COVID-19 vaccination of young children and students, the Government has lowered the threshold for school outreach COVID-19 vaccination service to 10 persons. Meanwhile, we continue to provide group booking for vaccination at Community Vaccination Centres and free round-trip transport service to schools. Since September, we have lined up about 60 schools to arrange vaccination of their students by group bookings, and we hope that more schools will follow suit. Moreover, about 155 school outreach events have been organised at primary schools and kindergartens. "Currently, the third-dose vaccination rate of persons aged 12 to 19 is about 67 per cent. Although the epidemic situation has subsided as compared with August, I appeal to parents to bear in mind of arranging for their children to receive the appropriate number of vaccine doses on time in order to be well-prepared before winter approaches." In addition, the Government is rolling out a series of publicity and education activities, including organising over 20 parent-child workshops at campuses from late September to November, and displaying explanatory videos on the COVID-19 virus and vaccines by various paediatricians on parenting websites, so as to enable parents to have a better understanding of the importance of COVID-19 vaccination for children. The minimum age for receiving the Sinovac vaccine has been lowered to six months, while the minimum age for receiving the BioNTech vaccine is five years old. The designated website for the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme ( www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/programme ) provides the latest information including details on vaccination venues, reservation and enquiry hotlines.
Transcript of remarks by SCS at media session (with photos)
29.9.2022

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, at a media session after viewing the readiness of the Lai Chi Kok Park Community Vaccination Station this morning (September 29): Reporter: About the flu vaccine and also the COVID vaccine. So, why just allow people to receive the flu and COVID vaccines together but not only the flu vaccine? The Government has updated the "LeaveHomeSafe" app allowing parents to add children's vaccine pass into it. So, do you expect this new measure can improve the vaccination rate? How much do you think it is going to increase? Secretary for the Civil Service: For our COVID-19 Community Vaccination Centres, they were in the first place designed for getting the COVID-19 vaccines done. That's why we are allowing both the COVID-19 and the flu vaccines to be done together in these venues. But, for those who would just like to have the flu vaccines, we had many outlets for delivering the flu vaccine in past years. In this year, it's the same and we have not reduced the outlets. So, they will have plenty of venues to go to have their flu vaccine done. So, that's why we prefer to reserve our COVID-19 Community Vaccination Centres for COVID-19 vaccines plus flu vaccines (for residents aged 50 or above) or just COVID-19 vaccines alone, but not just for flu vaccines, in case the comers crowd out those who would really like to have the COVID-19 vaccine. For the "LeaveHomeSafe" app, being able to add a companion to it will definitely provide greater convenience for parents who are bringing young children with them together. We believe that this will provide parents, or provide carers, with greater convenience. But, as I said just now, the vaccination situation of children from 3 years to 11 years has been improving and has been quite good. So, we believe it won't be a big incentive itself but it will provide a lot of convenience for parents. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Four COVID-19 vaccination stations to commence operation tomorrow (with photos)
29.9.2022

âThe Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said after a visit to the Lai Chi Kok Park Community Vaccination Station (CVS) today (September 29) that the CVS is well prepared for administering the Sinovac vaccine for members of the public starting from tomorrow (September 30). In addition, three Private Clinic COVID-19 Vaccination Stations located at Chi Lok Fa Yuen in Tuen Mun, Kornhill Plaza Office Tower in Quarry Bay and Ice House Street in Central will also come into operation tomorrow. Mrs Yeung said that the Government will set up a CVS at Wong Tai Sin Square starting from October 12 to provide Sinovac and BioNTech vaccination services to the public. Online reservation will start at 9am on October 7. Members of the public can make reservations for vaccination services through the booking system on the designated website of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme ( booking.covidvaccine.gov.hk ). Persons aged 60 or above can collect a same-day ticket for appointment-free vaccination on the spot. The Government will adopt a more flexible and more cost-effective strategy to work with private medical organisations and make good use of different venues to set up vaccination stations at locations with convenient transportation or high patronage to expand the service network so as to provide convenience to the public and make the utmost effort to boost the vaccination rates of the young and the old. Mrs Yeung reminded unvaccinated elderly persons or persons who are due to receive their next dose to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Parents should also act fast and bring their young children to receive vaccination. They should not neglect the importance of vaccination, even as the number of confirmed cases decreases, and good preparation has to be made before winter approaches. The designated website ( www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/programme ) provides the latest information including details on vaccination venues, reservation and enquiry hotlines.
Civil Service College holds ninth talk of series on country's foreign affairs (with photo)
27.9.2022

The Civil Service College (CSC) held the ninth talk of the series on the country's foreign affairs jointly with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) today (September 27). The talk, on the topic of "China-Africa Relations", was delivered via video-conferencing by the Director-General of the Department of African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Mr Wu Peng. Addressing the talk, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said that the important speech delivered by President Xi Jinping at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland had highlighted "Hong Kong's close connection with the world market and strong support from the motherland" as its distinctive advantages. As a key link and the prime platform for the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative, and with the Central Government's support, Hong Kong should capitalise on its unique advantages to connect the Mainland with other B&R regions. Civil servants of the HKSAR should play an active role in strengthening the connection and act in better concert with the country's development strategies. In the face of the increasingly sophisticated international landscape, civil servants need to acquire a deeper understanding of the national development strategy and the evolving global order. The CSC reinforces the sense of national identity among senior civil servants, deepens their understanding of the country's development and broadens their international horizons and global outlook through various types of training. The series on the country's foreign affairs, which started in January this year, involves monthly talks delivered by relevant officials of the MFA covering various topics including "In-depth Study of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy for a Brighter Future of Hong Kong", "China's relations with ASEAN, Japan, India and other neighbouring countries" and "China - United States Relations". The series is a key training programme launched by the CSC for civil servants in the directorate and senior ranks. About 200 civil servants in the directorate and senior ranks took part in today's talk through online access.
SCS attends COVID-19 vaccination event in Sham Shui Po (with photos)
17.9.2022

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, attended a COVID-19 vaccination event in Sham Shui Po today (September 17) and appealed to members of the public to take action to receive a suitable number of vaccine doses on time for self-protection. The vaccination event was organised by the Sham Shui Po District Office and the "Get Flexinated" Sham Shui Po Vaccination Promotion Committee and co-organised by the Anti-Coronavirus Link of Sham Shui Po, the Shamshuipo Kaifong Welfare Advancement Association and Hong Kong Volunteers Against Coronavirus. It is anticipated that around 540 persons aged 6 months or above will receive vaccination through the outreach service today. "Currently, about 218 000 elderly persons aged 70 or above have no COVID-19 vaccination record. In the unfortunate event that some of these elderly persons get infected with the coronavirus, there will be an extremely high risk to their health and mounting pressure on the healthcare system. We will continue to join efforts with community organisations and leaders to promote vaccination of community members, in particular the elderly and children," Mrs Yeung said. In addition, the Vaccine Pass arrangements will be extended to cover children aged 5 to 11 from September 30. The Government has already increased the BioNTech vaccination quota at four Children Community Vaccination Centres, and there is also a sufficient quota for the Sinovac vaccine. She appealed to parents to arrange COVID-19 vaccination for their children early so as to avoid the children's failure to meet the Vaccine Pass requirement before the effective date as a result of full booking of the selected vaccination venue. The designated website for the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme ( www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/programme ) provides the latest information including details on vaccination venues, reservation and enquiry hotlines.
Transcript of remarks by SCS at media session
1.9.2022

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, at a media session after viewing the first-day operation of Private Clinic COVID-19 Vaccination Stations today (September 1): Reporter: Secretary, many sports centres are vaccinating people. So, is there a reason to add private clinics to this scheme? And also, you mentioned that Sinovac is &hellip;&hellip; in private clinics, so why is there a sudden change to expand scale to BioNTech jabs as well? Secretary for the Civil Service: We are using a lot of sports centres as Community Vaccination Centres. As you all know, these sports centres are built as sports centres and they do have a community function as sports centres. Moreover, some of them will need to be used by, for example, the Social Welfare Department to decant elders who are in residential homes with the virus spreading and elderlies who need to stay away from the homes for a definite period. We do need to deploy some of our sports centres for this use. That's why we believe it is an opportune time for us to add more vaccination centres for the community to facilitate members of the public to have their vaccines, to have their jabs done. As for adding the BioNTech to these private clinics, we've been using a few private clinics to test out the injection of BioNTech as it requires a dilution process. After having tested this for a long period, we find that the operators of these clinics are accustomed to this process, and are able to handle this process fairly safely. And we see that there are demands in the community for BioNTech vaccination, thus we have extended this BioNTech vaccination in private clinics to these 16 clinics that offer large-scale vaccination. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)