About Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

The recent emergence of the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in late 2019 and the subsequent global pandemic has since caused millions of deaths and significant economic impacts globally. COVID-19 is caused by the infection of  SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus where disease severity varies widely, from asymptomatic infection, mild self-limiting disease with common respiratory symptoms, to severe disease requiring hospitalization that may lead to long-term symptoms or death.

About COVID-19 Vaccine

COVID-19 vaccination could provide protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection or severe disease after infection, and would also help to reduce community transmission by the accrual of population immunity. Due to different vaccine formulations, different COVID-19 vaccines such as inactivated virus vaccines (e.g. Sinovac, Sinopharm), mRNA vaccines (e.g. BioNTech, Moderna) and non-replicating adenovirus-vector-based vaccines (e.g. Oxford–AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sputnik V) may have different capacities to stimulate different branches of immune responses (e.g.  humoral, cell-mediated and innate immunity) and require different vaccination frequencies. Like other vaccines, mild allergic reactions (side effects) such as mild fever, swelling or pain at injection site, or, in rare cases severe allergic reactions, may occur after COVID-19 vaccination.

For more information about COVID-19 vaccines, please visit the official website of the Hong Kong government’s COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.

Our team at the School of Public Health, the University of Hong Kong are experts in infectious disease epidemiology. This study is led by Dr. Nancy Leung and Prof. Benjamin Cowling.

The School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine of The University of Hong Kong (HKUSPH) has a long and distinguished history in public health education and high impact research. With world leading research in infectious diseases as well as on non-communicable diseases of both local and global importance, we have made significant contributions through its research and advocacy to improve the health of populations and individuals, both locally and globally. The School is a leading research and teaching hub in public health on influenza and other emerging viruses, control of non-communicable and infectious diseases, tobacco control, air pollution, psycho-oncology, behavioural sciences, exercise science, life-course epidemiology, and health economics, health services planning and management. Work done by us has informed international (e.g. the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization), national and local public health policies.

The School of Public Health hosts the WHO Collaborating Centre (WHO CC) for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control. With a view to protecting the public's health in Hong Kong and across the region, the WHO CC aims to coordinating research on the control and prevention of infectious diseases and providing local and regional education and training in infectious disease epidemiology and control. Members of the WHO CC are involved in the response to COVID-19 and conducted a range of scientific research projects. The team has created a website (click here to visit) to share the latest scientific findings and the implications for evidence-based public health policies on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

我們的研究團隊是來自香港大學公共衞生學院的傳染病流行病學專家。本研究由梁曉灡博士及高本恩教授籌辦。

香港大學醫學院公共衞生學院乃頂尖的科研和教學中心，在公共衞生教育及科研方面有多年經驗，成就卓越。我們有關傳染病及非傳染性疾病的研究工作在國際間舉足輕重，對改善本地和全球個人及人口健康有非常重大的貢獻，對教育工作亦不遺餘力。當中包括對傳染病如流行性感冒及其他新發傳染病病毒的教學及研究，亦致力於非傳染性疾病的控制、控煙、空氣污染、心理腫瘤學、行為科學、運動科學、生命歷程流行病學、醫療經濟效益、醫療服務規劃及管理等有關的研究工作。當中不少研究獲本地、國內以至國際組織（如世界衞生組織和聯合國糧食及農業組織）認同，納入其公共衞生政策當中。

港大公共衞生學院同時亦為世衞傳染病流行病學及控制合作中心（世衞合作中心）。以守護香港以至周邊地區公共健康為願景，世衞合作中心旨在協調傳染病防控有關研究，為本地及區內傳染病流行病學及控制提供教育及培訓。世衞合作中心成員現正致力於2019冠狀病毒病（COVID-19）的應對工作，並開展了多項有關學術研究計劃。研究團隊製作了網上平台（按此瀏覽網站），分享與2019冠狀病毒病相關的最新科學研究成果，以及提供實據作為公共衞生政策的基礎。