The Latest: Hong Kong starts virus jabs at community centers

HONG KONG — Hong Kong has begun administering its first COVID-19 vaccines to the public, kicking off its mass inoculation targeting all 7.5 million residents.

People age 60 and older and health care workers are among some 2.4 million people prioritized to receive vaccines at community centers and outpatient clinics across Hong Kong.

The government said Friday registrations for the first two weeks of the program are full.

Participants so far will be receiving the vaccine by Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac. A million doses arrived in the city last week, and Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and other top government officials were vaccinated first in a bid to bolster confidence in the program.

Hong Kong has struck deals to buy 22.5 million doses of vaccines from Sinovac, AstraZeneca and Fosun Pharma, which will deliver the shots developed by Pfizer-BioNTech.

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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— Vaccination ‘passports’ may open society, but inequity looms

— 2 US Navy warships in Mideast affected by coronavirus

— South Korea starts vaccinating, but people over 65 must wait

— Scientists have identified a mutated version of the coronavirus spreading in New York.

— European Union leaders have vowed to speed the rollout of coronavirus vaccines. They are stepping up pressure on drug makers to respect their supply commitments.

— The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S. has plummeted by 80,000 in six weeks, and 17% of the nation’s adult population has gotten at least one dose of vaccine.

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