Dear Allyson,
Thank you for your email dated 22.3.2022.
As the requested information is held by the Drug Office, Department of
Health, it is regrettable that we could not provide the requested
information. However, if it is agreeable, we could refer your request to
the Drug Office for their follow-up. You may also wish to contact them
(website: [1]https://www.drugoffice.gov.hk/eps/do/en/...)
directly for details. Please let us know by 1 April 2022 if you wish us to
refer your request to them. Thank you.
Government Laboratory

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From:        Allyson van de Pol <[FOI #1025 email]>
To:        FOI requests at Government Laboratory <[Government Laboratory request email]>
Date:        22/03/2022 20:43
Subject:        Freedom of Information request - Covid 19 Vaccine Injuries

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Government Laboratory,

Can you please advise a full list of reported Covid 19 vaccine injuries or
adverse events (including death) that have been reported to the govt since
the vaccine rollout in Feb 2021. Please advise which vaccine was
administered and after which dose caused the adverse event.

Thank you,

Yours faithfully,

Allyson van de Pol

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a request under the Code of Access to Information facilitated via
the accessinfo.hk website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #1025 email]

Is [Government Laboratory request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Government Laboratory? If so, please contact us using this
form:
[2]https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[3]https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

References

Visible links
1. https://www.drugoffice.gov.hk/eps/do/en/...
2. https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...
3. https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

Dear Allyson van de Pol,

Code on Access to Information
Re：Application No. DO EC 0566/22

The Government Laboratory has transferred your application for access to
information as per email below to our department.  Your application is now
under processing.  According to paragraph 1.16 of the Code on Access to
Information, our department will inform you of the latest progress of the
case separately on or before 19.4.2022.  In the meantime, please contact
me at 2961 8856 if you have any enquiry.

(Mr. Shawn HUI)
for Director of Health

From:        Allyson van de Pol <[FOI #1025 email]>
To:        FOI requests at Government Laboratory <[Government Laboratory request email]>
Date:        22/03/2022 20:43
Subject:        Freedom of Information request - Covid 19 Vaccine Injuries

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Government Laboratory,

Can you please advise a full list of reported Covid 19 vaccine injuries or
adverse events (including death) that have been reported to the govt since
the vaccine rollout in Feb 2021. Please advise which vaccine was
administered and after which dose caused the adverse event.

Thank you,

Yours faithfully,

Allyson van de Pol

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a request under the Code of Access to Information facilitated via
the accessinfo.hk website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #1025 email]

Is [Government Laboratory request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Government Laboratory? If so, please contact us using this
form:
[1]https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[2]https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

References

Visible links
1. https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...
2. https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

Dear Allyson van de Pol,

Code on Access to Information  
Re:  Application No. DO EC 0566/22

I refer to your email dated 22 March 2022 to the Government Laboratory
requesting the following information –  

(a)  a full list of reported COVID-19 vaccine injuries or adverse events
(including death) that have been reported to the Government since the
vaccine rollout in February 2021; and
(b)  which vaccine was administered and after which dose caused the
adverse event.

Please find our reply to your enquiry below.
 
The two COVID-19 vaccines (including Comirnaty and CoronaVac) being used
in Hong Kong are authorized for use under the Prevention and Control of
Disease (Use of Vaccines) Regulation, Cap. 599K. They have been rigorously
evaluated by the Advisory Panel on COVID-19 Vaccines established under
this Regulation that they are safe, effective and of good quality.
 
In accordance with Cap. 599K, the Department of Health (DH) has put in
place a pharmacovigilance system for COVID-19 vaccination, including
receiving reports of adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) related
to the COVID-19 vaccines reported voluntarily from healthcare
professionals and pharmaceutical industries. The DH also partners with the
University of Hong Kong to conduct an active surveillance programme for
adverse events of special interest (AESIs) related to COVID-19 vaccines,
i.e. the COVID-19 Vaccines Adverse Events Response and Evaluation
Programme (CARE Programme) (For details, please visit
[1]https://www.hkcare.hku.hk/). The main purpose of the pharmacovigilance
system is to detect signals of possible side effects of the vaccines.
 
The DH has established the Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment
Following COVID-19 Immunization (Expert Committee) to provide independent
assessment of potential causal link between the clinical events (including
AEFIs and AESIs) and COVID-19 vaccines used in Hong Kong.  According to
the World Health Organization (WHO), AEFI refers to any untoward medical
occurrence which follows immunization and which does not necessarily have
a causal relationship with the usage of vaccine while AESI is a
preidentified and predefined medically-significant event that has the
potential to be causally associated with a vaccine product that needs to
be carefully monitored and confirmed by further specific studies.  
Upon receipt of reports of serious and unexpected AEFI, the DH will
contact the healthcare professionals whom reported the AEFI for further
information. According to the established mechanism, all important cases
will be considered by the Expert Committee while all other serious or
unexpected AEFI cases will be assessed by DH based on the causality
assessment algorithm of the WHO.
 
Your request for a full list of reported COVID-19 vaccine injuries or
adverse events (including death) that have been reported, including the
information regarding which vaccine was administered and after which dose
caused the adverse event, contains information that involves incomplete
analysis, and disclosure of such information could be misleading.
Therefore, based on Clause 2.13(a) of the Code on Access to Information as
quoted below, the DH could not provide the requested information.

“Information relating to incomplete analysis, research or statistics,
where disclosure could be misleading or deprive the department or any
other person of priority of publication or commercial value.”
Nevertheless, kindly note that the Government releases relevant statistics
and information of AEFI received through the Government's designated
website and publishes the Report on safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccines
on the designated website regularly. You may wish to refer to this
information accordingly.
The latest report on safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccines and the latest
statistics related to AEFI of COVID-19 vaccines are available at the
following websites respectively:

[2]https://www.drugoffice.gov.hk/eps/do/en/...

[3]https://www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/dashb...
You may ask the department to review the decision by writing to Deputy
Director of Health at 21^st Floor, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen’s Road East,
Hong Kong if you are not satisfied with the above decision.
 Alternatively, you may complain to The Ombudsman, whose address is -

Officer of the Ombudsman, Hong Kong
30/F, China Merchants Tower
Shun Tak Centre
168-200 Connaught Road Central
Hong Kong

Telephone: 2629 0555
Fax: 2882 8149
Email: [email address]

(Shawn HUI)
for Director of Health
From:                pharmgeneral/DH/HKSARG
To:        Allyson van de Pol <[FOI #1025 email]>
Date:        08/04/2022 11:35
Subject:        Re: Freedom of Information request - Covid 19 Vaccine
Injuries (DO EC 0566/22)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Allyson van de Pol,

Code on Access to Information
Re：Application No. DO EC 0566/22

The Government Laboratory has transferred your application for access to
information as per email below to our department.  Your application is now
under processing.  According to paragraph 1.16 of the Code on Access to
Information, our department will inform you of the latest progress of the
case separately on or before 19.4.2022.  In the meantime, please contact
me at 2961 8856 if you have any enquiry.

(Mr. Shawn HUI)
for Director of Health

From:        Allyson van de Pol <[FOI #1025 email]>
To:        FOI requests at Government Laboratory <[Government Laboratory request email]>
Date:        22/03/2022 20:43
Subject:        Freedom of Information request - Covid 19 Vaccine Injuries

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Government Laboratory,

Can you please advise a full list of reported Covid 19 vaccine injuries or
adverse events (including death) that have been reported to the govt since
the vaccine rollout in Feb 2021. Please advise which vaccine was
administered and after which dose caused the adverse event.

Thank you,

Yours faithfully,

Allyson van de Pol

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a request under the Code of Access to Information facilitated via
the accessinfo.hk website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #1025 email]

Is [Government Laboratory request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Government Laboratory? If so, please contact us using this
form:
[4]https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[5]https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

References

Visible links
1. https://www.hkcare.hku.hk/
2. https://www.drugoffice.gov.hk/eps/do/en/...
3. https://www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/dashb...
4. https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...
5. https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers

Dear Allyson,
Thank you for your email dated 20.4.2022.
As the reply was provided by the Drug Office, Department of Health, it is
regrettable that we could not provide the requested information. However,
if it is agreeable, we could refer your follow-up questions to the Drug
Office for their follow-up. You may also wish to contact them (email:
[email address], website:
[1]https://www.drugoffice.gov.hk/eps/do/en/...) directly
for details. Please let us know by 25 April 2022 if you wish us to refer
your request to them. Thank you.
Government Laboratory

This e-mail message and its attachment(s), if any, are for the attention
of the designated recipient(s) only and may contain privileged
information.? Their use, retention, disclosure, reproduction,
transmission, dissemination or printing, whether all or in part, by
person(s) other than the designated recipient(s) is strictly prohibited.?
If you are not the designated recipient but have received the message
and/or the attachment(s), please erase them all from your computer system
and notify the sender immediately. Thank you.

From:        Allyson van de Pol <[FOI #1025 email]>
To:        FOI requests at Government Laboratory <[Government Laboratory request email]>
Date:        20/04/2022 20:00
Subject:        Re: Freedom of Information request - Covid 19 Vaccine
Injuries (DO EC 0566/22)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Government Laboratory,

Could you please advise when the incomplete analysis will be completed and
available via this channel?

Could you also please advise the names of the people on the Expert
Committee (past and present) and minutes of their meetings.

Thank you,

Yours faithfully,

Allyson van de Pol

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