Hong Kong has launched a mass A/H1-N1 flu vaccination program targeting high-risk groups. Under the program that began on Monday, some two million people, including pregnant women, children, and people with chronic illnesses, will receive free vaccines on a voluntary basis.

Health authorities are assuring the public that the French-made vaccine is completely safe, and they are urging those who are most vulnerable to sign up. Children over six months and under six years of age are considered a high-risk group.

So far, over 33-thousand people have tested positive for the A/H1-N1 flu virus in the Special Administrative Region. Forty-eight people have died of the virus in Hong Kong so far.