Hong Kong will provide Covid-19 vaccines for all of its residents at no cost, and those considered "vulnerable" will receive them first.

Straits Times reported on Dec. 2 that according to Hong Kong broadcaster RTHK, the announcement came from Health Secretary Sophia Chan.

Chan informed the Legislative Council, Hong Kong's legislature, that those considered vulnerable include the elderly, patients with chronic diseases, and healthcare workers, totalling about three million people.

However, receiving the vaccine will be voluntary.

Chan said the Hong Kong officials will look at buying two doses of Covid-19 vaccine, and these will be sourced from at least two different manufacturers.

She added that vetting procedures would be "sped up" while ensuring the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, and that emergency legislation may be passed to get this done.

Hong Kong is currently facing an upswing in the number of Covid-19 cases.

There were 82 new cases reported on Dec. 1, according to Worldometer.

These cases have led to the delay of the Air Travel Bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong, which was initially scheduled for late-November 2020, and delayed two weeks.

Officials expect the bubble to resume only in 2021.

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