Hong Kong rolls out online consent forms for children’s school flu jabs

Hong Kong has launched an online system for parents to consent to their children's seasonal flu vaccinations through schools, aiming to streamline the process. The Centre for Health Protection announced that the eHealth mobile application will host the digital consent system for the upcoming school year. Parents are no longer required to complete the forms manually, which saves time and minimizes errors, according to Dr Chim Pak-wing, the principal medical and health officer at the centre.

The Department of Health will distribute QR codes to schools from Wednesday, which parents can scan through the eHealth app starting Monday to complete and submit the electronic consent forms. Each QR code is unique to a school and valid for its enrolled students only, emphasizing the importance of not sharing them. To use the service, parents and guardians, and children under 18 must be registered with the eHealth system.

After scanning the QR code, parents will verify the school's name and confirm the pre-filled information in the system before entering the student's class and number, selecting a vaccine type, and submitting the form. Although paper consent forms will still be accepted, the online system aims to expedite the process. Over 2,200 schools have signed up for the 2026-27 outreach programme, but 14 have indicated they will not participate.

The government encourages high student vaccination rates and has conducted system tests and briefing sessions with schools since June to prepare for the new electronic consent form.