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Feb exports value down 0.8%

The value of Hong Kong’s total exports decreased to $284.1 billion in February, down 0.8% on the same month last year, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.   The value of imports of goods fell 1.8% to $325.7 billion for the same period.   A trade deficit of $41.7 billion, or 12.8% of the value of imports, was recorded in February.   Comparing the three-month period ending February with the preceding three months on a seasonally adjusted basis, the value of exports rose 5.5%, while that of imports also increased 3.3%.   The Government noted that taking the first two months of the year together to remove the volatility caused by the difference in timing of the Lunar New Year, the value of exports posted a 16.6% growth against a very low base of comparison a year ago.   Exports to the Mainland and the US rose notably, while those to the European Union fell. Those to other major Asian markets recorded a mixed performance.   Looking ahead, the Gove

Vaccination advice issued

(To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.)   An expert committee today advised people with chronic illnesses to defer receiving the COVID-19 vaccination until their condition is under control.   The Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment Following COVID-19 Immunisation made the appeal after meeting this afternoon to assess serious adverse events relating to the vaccination.   Since the launch of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme, seven death cases have been reported involving those who had been vaccinated. The deceased ranged in age from 55 to 80.   The committee's Co-convener Prof Ivan Hung said full autopsy reports are still pending for the two earliest cases involving a 63-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman, while the cause of death for the remaining five cases was not directly associated with the vaccination.   However, he noted that the five cases had heart-related diseases and advised those with heart problems to bring their condition under control before getting the jab.   “For patients who have got very stable diseases or chronic illnesses including cardiovascular disease, they will be encouraged to receive the vaccination.   “We only refer to patients who have symptoms or have very poor control, for example, their hypertension is very poorly controlled or they have very poorly controlled diabetes, or they have ongoing symptoms for example, chest pain or shortness of breath on exertion.   “So for these patients we would suggest them to defer the vaccination until they have controlled their current illnesses, and then of course they could receive the vaccine afterwards.”   Prof Hung added that the Government's guidelines can be used as a reference for both patients and doctors when making a decision on vaccination.   “For the current guidelines or the recommendations from the Department of Health, I think the recommendations that they posted are very important and would be helpful for both patients and family practitioners who are giving the vaccine to these patients as a so-called recommendation or guideline.”
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