‘Pressure on hospitals has eased as Covid stabilises’

The Hospital Authority’s Chief Executive, Tony Ko, said on Sunday the pressure on public hospitals has eased as the Covid situation stabilises.

Speaking at the daily Covid briefing alongside the Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, Ko said they’re caring for 9,000 Covid patients, and 5,000 of them are still testing positive.

He said some of those who have now tested negative are still in hospital because of underlying illnesses, but medics now have greater flexibility in terms of bed allocation.

Ko noted that Covid patients no longer need to wait for long periods before being admitted to hospitals.

“Now basically people infected with Covid who go to the accident and emergency units can be hospitalised if doctors think it’s needed. It’s no longer an issue,” he said.

He said there are also fewer serious cases now and the number of deaths have reduced by two-thirds to around 100 per day.

Meanwhile, Ko called on Covid patients not to wait until their conditions worsen before seeking treatment.

“Some people think they don’t need to see a doctor or take pills because their symptoms are mild. This is not entirely correct,” he said.

“Basically people confirmed to have Covid can consider to receive treatment during the first five days of showing symptoms. For example… we recommend those older than 60 to visit the designated clinics or other medical organisations to undergo treatment with antiviral medication, even if they are fully vaccinated.”

He noted the 23 designated Covid clinics are running at around half of their capacity, and elderly patients can walk in for consultation.