Biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech Ltd announced on Wednesday that it will offer its inactivated COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac, to self-paying groups in Hong Kong and will also donate vaccines to local charity groups to provide children access to free vaccines.

Hong Kong authorities have said that high-risk groups will receive free doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, while low-risk groups, including children, can only receive their vaccines via the private market.

CoronaVac is authorised for use in more than 60 countries and regions, with the cumulative global supply exceeding 2.9 billion doses. Published studies show that CoronaVac has a good safety profile for healthy people, effectively reducing severe illness and deaths related to COVID-19. Adults vaccinated with three doses showed more than 90% protection against serious or fatal illness during the outbreak of the omicron variant in Hong Kong.

In children aged 3 to 18 who received two doses, the vaccine's effectiveness against moderate to severe disease has been shown to be as high as 95.8%. To address the needs of low-risk groups, including children, Sinovac will provide thousands of free doses of CoronaVac for children aged 3 to 12 in Hong Kong.

The company added that it is seeking opportunities for collaboration to explore the feasibility of free vaccination. In markets where inactivated COVID-19 vaccines for children are limited, Sinovac is offering a viable solution for parents who prefer the safety and effectiveness of inactivated vaccines.