The age limit for the Covid-19 vaccine has been lowered to three in Hong Kong.
The secretary for food and health in Hong Kong said in a statement on Saturday that adolescents aged 12 to 17 will be the first to receive the vaccine.
The statement said that she considered the benefits of approving the extension of the age eligibility to cover those aged three to 17 outweigh the risks.
The panel had recommended that the minister approve the new age limit.
Hong Kong's vaccine campaign has been lagging behind other developed economies, so the age eligibility has been extended. More than 70% of the population have received at least one shot of either Sinovac or Germany's BioNTech vaccine.
The city's government said in a statement on Friday that it had purchased 1m extra doses of BioNTech vaccine for third dose Covid vaccinations.
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Hong Kong has followed Beijing in keeping travel restrictions in place to prevent new coronaviruses from entering the country.
Hong Kong could lose talent, investment and competitive ground to rival finance hubs such as Singapore unless it relaxes its travel restrictions, according to international business lobby groups.
Hong Kong has imposed a mandatory hotelQuarantine of up to 21 days for arrivals from most countries at the cost of the travellers.
