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Sammy Heung

Hong Kong is expected to see a surge in flu and Covid-19 cases next month, health authorities have said, with public hospitals launching special measures to brace for the rise in demand for services.
The Centre for Health Protection said on Friday that a slight increase in the number of flu and coronavirus cases had been recorded this month.
“Although the number of seasonal flu and Covid-19 cases remains at a low level, we have observed signs of a gradual increase,” the centre’s principle medical and health officer Dr Kung Kin-hang said. “With reference to past experience, seasonal flu and Covid-19 infections may become more active in January.
“In recent weeks, the weather has become cooler, and maybe this is associated with increased activity of both Covid-19 and also the flu.
“For Covid-19 … we have waves every four to six months, and the last peak was around July. It is not unexpected to have a recent increase.”
According to the centre, 1.09 per cent of 8,173 respiratory specimens collected by its laboratory tested positive for flu last week, compared with 0.52 per cent in the week of November 10.
Among 7,638 respiratory specimens collected by its laboratory, 0.81 per cent was tested positive for Covid-19 last week, compared with 0.46 per cent in the week of November 10.
The amount of the virus linked to Covid-19 found in sewage water last week was 31,000 copies per litres, compared with 25,000 about a month ago.
Kung also noted the influenza season lasted for 28 weeks between January and July this year.
“The major reason [for the longer flu season] is that the predominating virus [strain] switched from H3 to H1,” he said. “If there is a similar situation next year, we do not rule out the occurrence of a long influenza season.”
He called on residents to adopt preventive measures, and high-risk people who had not been vaccinated to receive the vaccine as soon as possible.
Dr Leung Yiu-hong, head of the centre’s Emergency Response and Programme Management Branch, said the coverage rate for children aged six months to under two years was 16.4 per cent, which was 0.4 per cent higher than last year, but still considered low in general.
He said the Department of Health had opened all of its maternal and child health centres to children in the age group to receive flu shots.

Hospital Authority chief manager Dr Larry Lee Lap-yip said it would activate special measures on Saturday to manage higher demand, adding that emergency rooms at public hospitals were under increased pressure.
Lee said the decision to implement the measures was made based on several indicators, including the more than 6,000 daily patients at accident and emergency (A&E) departments and over 1,000 patient admissions this month, the mild increase in flu and Covid-19 cases, and the colder weather.
He noted the special refund arrangement for A&E services, launched as a pilot scheme during the Lunar New Year, would be implemented again.
Under the scheme, stable patients would be allowed to receive a refund if they opt for medical services in the private sector.
He added that under their latest arrangement, patients could ask for a refund at the registration counter without filling in a form, or apply for it through the authority’s mobile app “HA Go”.
“In the long term, we may regularise the arrangement but we do not have an exact timetable yet,” he said.
The authority was also planning to open 153 new beds as part of its 2024-25 plan and a special honorarium scheme for staff joining service programmes to cope with the surge in demand.
The daily quota for 18 general outpatient clinics would be increased by 10,000 to 12,000, as the authority aimed to reduce A&E attendances by 300 to 500 per day.


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The Hospital Authority says the colder weather was one factor behind its decision to adopt special measures to cope with the surge. Photo: Antony Dickson 

Hospital Authority chief manager Dr Larry Lee has said it will activate the special measures on Saturday. Photo: Jelly Tse

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Ambulances on standby outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei. Photo: Eugene Lee

Patients wait in the accident and emergency department of a hospital in Kwun Tong. Photo: May Tse

News

Hong Kong

Health & Environment

Public hospitals to launch special measures to cope with expected rise in demand


Public hospitals to launch special measures to cope with expected rise in demand.
