First batch of mainland-manufactured COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Hong Kong, south China on Feb. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

HONG KONG, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government has earmarked over 8.4 billion Hong Kong dollars (1.08 billion U.S. dollars) for the procurement and administration of COVID-19 vaccines, aiming to have the majority of the population vaccinated for free this year, a senior government official said Wednesday.

"It is the government's top priority to contain the epidemic so that businesses and the public can be back to their daily routines," said Financial Secretary of the HKSAR government Paul Chan when delivering the annual budget.

With the first batch of mainland-manufactured COVID-19 vaccines arriving in Hong Kong last Friday, the vaccination program started on Tuesday. The HKSAR government will also propose 1 billion Hong Kong dollars by the end of February to establish a vaccination indemnity fund, said Chan.

Besides funding support for vaccination, the government has allocated 4.7 billion Hong Kong dollars to support the anti-epidemic work, including better protection for frontline healthcare staff.

Chan said the government also provides an extra 3 billion Hong Kong dollars mainly for Hong Kong's Hospital Authority to establish and operate a community treatment facility and an infection control center, with the former commencing services in phases since last August and the latter from the end of this month. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.75 Hong Kong dollars)