HONG KONG, March 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hong Kong is facing an unprecedented and challenging COVID-19 epidemic situation. Since the fifth wave of epidemic broke out in Hong Kong, Fosun Foundation quickly launched the anti-epidemic action of "Let's Work Hand in Hand and Combat the Epidemic Together" in Hong Kong. Following the donation of the first two batches of more than 800,000 pieces of anti-epidemic materials to Hong Kong from the end of February to early March, the third batch of approximately 350,000 pieces of anti-epidemic materials, which includes COVID-19 rapid antigen test kits, N95 respirators, children's face masks are arriving progressively in Hong Kong this week and are currently being delivered to non-profit organizations and association. To date, Fosun Foundation's anti-epidemic action to donate HK$10 million anti-epidemic materials to Hong Kong has ended successfully. Nonetheless, Fosun's anti-epidemic efforts to protect Hong Kong against the epidemic continues.
Fosun Foundation continues to focus on assisting the high-risk groups of the elderly and children
In mid-March, the Government of the Hong Kong SAR stated that it will gear up efforts to boost the vaccination rate among the elderly and children. As of 15 March 2022, more than 4,000 people have passed away during the fifth wave of the epidemic, among which more than half were elderly people over the age of 80, and there were five children under the age of 11. The Government of the Hong Kong SAR pointed out that due to the low vaccination rate among the elderly and children, they are still high-risk groups. In order to increase the protection of the elderly and children, Fosun continued to focus on assisting the high-risk groups of the elderly and children.
As the epidemic situation deteriorates, several children infected with COVID-19 have passed away. Also, the Government of the Hong Kong SAR announced on 21 March that all primary schools, international schools, and kindergartens will resume face-to-face classes after Easter holiday (19 April) at the earliest. Therefore, in order to build stronger protection for children and students, we have contacted with approximately 30 non-profit organizations and associations for the donation of the third batch of anti-epidemic materials. Among which, organizations and associations that focus on serving children, youth and students include S.K.H. St. Christopher's Home, the Hong Kong Paediatric Society, Association of Hong Kong Kindergarten Education Professional Exchange, the Non-Profit-Making Kindergarten Council of Hong Kong, Hong Chi Association, PathFinders, Hok Yau Club, Amity Foundation Hong Kong, etc., to distribute anti-epidemic materials to children's homes, kindergartens, nursery schools, schools, and children from low-income families, etc. Since the elderly are still a high-risk group for COVID-19, we continued to donate the third batch of anti-epidemic materials to elderly homes, elderly care centers, the elderly living alone and the elderly from low-income families, etc.
Fosun remains true to its original aspiration and continues to protect Hong Kong against the epidemic
With the arrival of the third batch of anti-epidemic materials in Hong Kong, Fosun Foundation is working unremittingly to distribute the materials to relevant non-profit organizations and associations so as to deliver the anti-epidemic materials to those in need as soon as possible. After that, Fosun Foundation's anti-epidemic action to donate HK$10 million anti-epidemic materials to assist Hong Kong will officially come to an end. Nonetheless, Fosun's anti-epidemic efforts to protect Hong Kong against the epidemic continues.
Li Haifeng, Chairman of Fosun Foundation, said, "The COVID-19 epidemic poses a great challenge to all humankind. As the fifth wave of epidemic is still raging in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland is seeing COVID-19 flare-ups, our team swiftly launched the Fosun 'Warming Spring Anti-Epidemic Support Action'. Under the guidance of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, we quickly launched the 'anti-epidemic mode', and donated anti-epidemic materials to frontline anti-epidemic personnel and volunteers, etc. I still remember that when the COVID-19 epidemic broke out in 2020, Fosun leveraged its global resource advantages to support the fight against the epidemic in China, and at the same time aid many countries affected by the epidemic. In the fight against the epidemic, we have always supported countries in need of Fosun's assistance. Although Fosun's anti-epidemic action to donate HK$10 million anti-epidemic materials to assist Hong Kong has come to an end, we will always be here to assist Hong Kong whenever it needs our help."
Fosun Foundation has swiftly launched the Fosun “Warming Spring Anti-Epidemic Support Action” to help fight against the epidemic in Shanghai while helping Hong Kong to combat the epidemic
In fact, Fosun's action to assist Hong Kong in fighting the epidemic started some time ago and will continue. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, Fosun joined hands with BioNTech, a German biotechnology company, to jointly develop the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (COMIRNATY®), which has been rolled out in Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, and Taiwan region in 2021, playing a positive role in the prevention and control of the epidemic in the regions. The Government of the Hong Kong SAR announced on 5 March that it had purchased approximately 3.8 million additional doses of COMIRNATY® to meet the recent public demand for COVID-19 vaccines. Together with the earlier batches, the government has so far procured more than 12.3 million doses of COMIRNATY®. A government spokesman said that with the threat of the highly transmissible COVID-19 variant, eligible citizens of all ages should get vaccinated as soon as possible for self-protection.
According to a study conducted by the University of Hong Kong, the Fosun/BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine is better at preventing Omicron infection, and the efficacy rate remains nearly 80% six months after the third dose. In addition, the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases and the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases (JSC) under the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health strongly recommends that adults who have received two doses of inactivated vaccine or Fosun/BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine to receive a third dose of Fosun/BioNTech mRNA vaccine as soon as three months after the second dose. Since local people aged 60 or above have a higher risk of severe illness and death after infection, they should be given priority to get vaccinated.
Li Haifeng, Chairman of Fosun Foundation, said, "The Omicron outbreak is raging in Hong Kong. Many medical studies pointed out that COVID-19 vaccines can effectively reduce the risk of severe illness and death after COVID-19 infection. We earnestly hope and encourage Hong Kong citizens to receive the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible, and receive the third dose in time to protect themselves and their family. We look forward to working with Hong Kong to overcome difficulties and beat the epidemic as soon as possible."
About Fosun
Fosun was founded in 1992. Fosun's mission is to provide high-quality products and services for families around the world in health, happiness, wealth and intelligent manufacturing segments. Fosun International Limited is a global innovation-driven consumer group that has been listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (stock code: 00656.HK) since 2007.
Founded in 1994, Fosun Pharma (stock code: 600196.SH, 02196.HK), a member company of Fosun, is a leading innovation-driven international healthcare group in China. Recently, it partnered with BioNTech, a German biotechnology company, to jointly develop the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (COMIRNATY®) to supply COMIRNATY® in Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR and Taiwan region.
Since its establishment, Fosun has been adhering to its core value of "Self-improvement, Teamwork, Performance and Contribution to Society", shouldering corporate social responsibilities and insisting on serving the society, the people and the nation. Founded in November 2012, Fosun Foundation's core businesses include disaster relief, poverty alleviation, healthcare, education, culture, art, youth entrepreneurship, etc. In 2021, Fosun Foundation was awarded "5A Social Organization".