School flu-shot consent forms go electronic

Starting from next Monday, parents can now easily submit electronic consent forms for their children's seasonal flu vaccinations through their schools, if the institution is part of the government's outreach programme. The Seasonal Influenza Vaccination School Outreach Programme, launched several years ago, aims to boost vaccination rates among students and simplify the process for schools to provide on-site immunisation services.

The programme includes various types of schools, such as secondary schools, primary schools, kindergartens, and special childcare centres. For the 2026-27 season, both traditional injectable flu shots and nasal spray vaccines will be available, with schools choosing between different supply models or a hybrid approach that allows students to opt for either.

From next Monday, parents can utilize the eHealth mobile app to scan a QR code provided by their child's school, replacing the traditional paper consent form. This QR code will be distributed by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) to participating schools starting Wednesday. Parents with multiple children in different schools must scan the appropriate QR code for each school separately.

Leung Yiu-hong, head of the emergency response and programme management branch, highlighted several benefits of the electronic consent system, including eliminating the need to fill out paper forms, enabling parents to access their children's vaccination records and health data through the eHealth app, and reducing the likelihood of human errors like illegible handwriting.

Additionally, the system allows schools to gather consent lists earlier, facilitating the scheduling of outreach activities.

To ensure a smooth transition, a dual-mode arrangement will be implemented in the upcoming school year, giving schools and parents time to adapt to the new digital system. Leung emphasized the importance of adopting this new measure, stating that it will reduce administrative workload for both schools and healthcare providers and make it easy for parents to complete the form in just a few minutes.

He acknowledged that some parents might be unable or unwilling to use the electronic consent method and assured them that they can continue using paper forms, with schools informed of this arrangement.

By the end of December 2025, over 2,300 schools – representing 99 percent of all schools – had conducted seasonal influenza vaccination outreach activities, a significant increase from the 91 percent recorded in the previous school year.