COVID-19: Another Hong Kong citizen dies after receiving Chinese vaccine shot

The chronically ill 62-year-old man in Hong Kong died after receiving Chinese vaccine Sinovac shots last month, the country's health authorities revealed on Sunday.

The news came as Hong Kong Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, urged the public to stay vigilant over the five-day holiday break, which this year encompasses the Ching Ming Festival - also known as tomb-sweeping day - in which Chinese families visit cemeteries to commemorate their ancestors, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

The man died on Friday after receiving the vaccine last month.

He was diagnosed with high blood pressure at a general outpatient clinic on Thursday and experienced difficulty breathing on the street on Friday morning. When an ambulance arrived, he was found to have suffered a cardiac arrest and sent to Pok Oi Hospital, where he was certified dead.

He was the 14th person to have died after getting shot of a jab since the city launched its COVID-19 vaccination drive in late February. However, no link between the deaths and the vaccines has been established so far, reported SCMP.

About 68,900 people, or 0.9 per cent of the population in Hong Kong, have already received the second dose of China-made Sinovac.

Hong Kong recorded 11,508 total confirmed cases of COVID-19, while the death toll in the country stands at 205.

( With inputs from ANI )