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| Past Events: COVID-19 Webinar Series |
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Integrated Vaccination and Physical Distancing Interventions to Prevent Future Waves of
COVID-19
19 April 2021 | 11:00–12:15 (UTC+8) | Zoom |
Speakers
Prof. Bo Huang
Prof. Paul K. S. Chan
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Professor, Department of Geography and Resource Management, CUHK
Chairman and Professor (Clinical), Department of Microbiology, CUHK
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Discussant
Prof. Martin C. S. Wong
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Professor, The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, CUHK
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Moderator
Prof. Fanny M. Cheung
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Senior Advisor, Faculty of Social Science & Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, CUHK
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In this webinar, the speakers shared their latest research on the estimated outcomes of vaccination integrated with physical distancing and stay-at-home restrictions. The effect of population density on integrated vaccination and physical distancing interventions was also discussed.
Prof. Huang shared the findings of his research team, which improved our understanding of the combined effects of vaccination and physical distancing with respect to a city’s population density and social contact patterns. Using anonymized mobile geolocation data from China, Prof. Huang and his research team devised a mobility-associated social contact index (SCI) to quantify the impact of both physical distancing and vaccination measures in a unified way. Building on the SCI, the epidemiological model reveals that vaccination combined with physical distancing can contain resurgences without relying on stay-at-home restrictions, whereas a gradual process of vaccination alone cannot achieve this. For cities of medium population density, vaccination can reduce the duration of physical distancing, whereas for highly densely populated cities, infection numbers can be well controlled through moderate physical distancing.
Prof. Chan shared his study on vaccine acceptance in Hong Kong. The result shows that the overall rate of acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine in Hong Kong is predicted to be low compared to global rates. The survey result indicated that various factors, such as perceived harm, barriers to personal access, and the risk of infection, are contributing to the public’s hesitation to get vaccinated. Incentives should be provided to attract people to get vaccinated, such as a travel allowance, leave, and a certificate to facilitate social activity. It will also be necessary to educate the public on the actual health impact of the disease.
Prof. Wong discussed the implications of this study on healthcare policies, including lifting physical distancing measures, offering monetary incentives for enhancing vaccine uptake, requiring compulsory vaccination for certain groups, and ensuring compliance with health measures. He suggested that future studies could explore the area of vaccine incentives, solutions to vaccine hesitancy, the balance between social distancing interventions and citizen expectations, the bioethics of vaccine promotion, and new-generation vaccines for COVID-19 mutations.
Around 104 participants attended the seminar.
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