Hong Kong will open its Covid-19 vaccine scheme to children aged 12 and above for the first time, the government said, as it pursues a broader campaign across the city to incentivise its 7.5 million residents to get vaccinated.

Children of that age group will be able to get Germany's BioNTech vaccine, but residents still have to be older than 18 to receive China's Sinovac shot, Reuters reports.

The Chinese special administrative region started its Covid-19 vaccination programme in February but only around 14 per cent of the population have been fully vaccinated.

In a statement published, the city's Health Secretary Sophia Chan said the benefits of reducing the age of vaccination with the BioNTech vaccine outweighed the risks.