Mainland China’s top Covid-19 expert praises Hong Kong’s easing of pandemic controls, calls coming domestic drugs ‘better than Paxlovid’
- Zhong Nanshan gives nod to city’s anti-pandemic fight, spruiks domestically developed drugs and vaccines which could be ready next month across border
- Praise follows government adviser professor David Hui’s affirmation that Covid-19 is ‘over’ in Hong Kong
Mainland China’s top Covid-19 expert has praised Hong Kong’s easing of pandemic control measures on a rare visit to the city, as he revealed a number of new coronavirus vaccines and medications that are “better” than Paxlovid will soon be available across the border.
Zhong Nanshan provided the dose of optimism as a top local government expert said the pandemic was “over” in Hong Kong and Covid-19 vaccination would likely be regularised like flu jabs, following the World Health Organization’s twice-yearly meeting later this month.
Zhong on Saturday said masks and vaccines played an important role in Hong Kong’s anti-pandemic fight. He added the chances of Hong Kong suffering a rebound in serious Covid-19 cases were slim.
“Hong Kong has done a good job in relaxing restrictions, even earlier than mainland China, and we did not see any big problem,” he said while attending a public event. “I believe the risk is not very high because the vaccination rate is high, and the Omicron virus is less lethal now.”
Zhong said the large coronavirus outbreak on the mainland in December had spurred vaccine and drug development, with the country expecting the implementation of a number of new multivalent vaccines which could target Omicron sublineages XBB and BQ.1.1 from next month. Such jabs immunise against more than one strain of an antigen.
He said some of the new drugs were “better than [Pfizer’s] Paxlovid” and had been approved on the mainland. They would be available very soon, he said. Paxlovid is one of the two Covid-19 antiviral pills available in Hong Kong.
Professor David Hui Shu-cheong on Saturday said the local pandemic situation remained stable following the lifting of the mask-wearing mandate on March 1, with fewer than 10 Covid-19 cases classified as serious or critical every day, while the viral load detected in sewage was low.
