Photo: Agencies

HONG KONG, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam took the second shot of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday and called on Hong Kong residents to actively get the jab so as to return to normal lives at an early date.

She got fully vaccinated at the government headquarters along with multiple officials on Monday, nearly a month after the local mass inoculation program started.

So far, more than 350,000 people have been given the first shot in Hong Kong and the second doses will begin to be administered this week.

Given the shortage of vaccine supplies globally, Hong Kong is fortunate to get doses enough for all its residents, Lam said, adding that the more people get vaccinated, the sooner Hong Kong can overcome the epidemic and the lives of people can return to normalcy.

There are two vaccines currently available in Hong Kong, produced by Sinovac Biotech and Fosun Pharma/BioNTech, respectively.

Lam stressed the vaccination is a science-based program and urged residents to refer to the official vaccine information and professional opinions of health experts, instead of listening to rumors and disinformation.