bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Fiona Sun

Hong Kong’s health authorities have announced that the city’s winter flu season has ended but warned of the probability of a summer peak later this year.
Dr Edwin Tsui Lok-kin, controller of the Centre for Health Protection, said on Thursday that the city recorded 488 cases of severe influenza in adults over the winter season, with 330 deaths. Ten severe cases involving children were also reported with no fatalities.
Tsui said the number of severe and fatal cases was lower than the 2018-19 winter flu season before the Covid-19 pandemic, when 601 adult severe cases and 24 child severe cases were recorded.
He attributed the reduced number of severe cases to vaccination among the population, adding that the predominant virus influenza A H1 over the season matched the vaccine strain.
“The indicators have shown decreasing trends of flu without rebound,” Tsui said. “The winter flu season has ended.”
But he also noted the potential risk and probability of a flu season during the summer.
Tsui noted the city recorded five summer flu seasons between 2010 and 2019, with influenza A H3 strain being the predominant virus.
“The probability of having a summer influenza season in Hong Kong is still present,” he said, adding that a peak usually occurred in July and August, while urging residents to get vaccinated for protection.
Tsui said the proportion of respiratory specimens that tested positive for the influenza virus and related public hospital admissions had fallen below the thresholds.
The weekly number of outbreaks of influenza-like illnesses at schools and institutions like care homes had dropped to an average of 12 over the past two weeks, he added.

Tsui also warned of other respiratory infections during spring and summer, such as rhinovirus, enterovirus and respiratory syncytial virus.
He noted a recent increase in Covid-19 activity recorded in the city, appealing to residents to maintain personal hygiene and receive vaccination.
Tsui added that the activity of norovirus, which could cause acute gastroenteritis, rose in Hong Kong in December, with 135 cases recorded during the first three months of this year. One in three of the cases were related to outbreaks at schools, he said.
He noted five norovirus outbreaks involved school study trips to mainland China, but added that about 200 such trips had been organised as of March during the current academic year.
Authorities have formed a task force to look into outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis among students on exchange trips to the mainland in recent weeks.
People can get norovirus infection from having direct contact with an infected person, consuming contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces.
Tsui urged schools to arrange for pupils to have safe food, but added that norovirus infections, which usually occurred in winter, would fall as the weather became warmer.
Dr Leung Yiu-hong, head of the emergency response and programme management branch of the Centre for Health Protection, said as of March 23, a total of about 2.07 million flu jabs had been given by vaccination programmes since September last year, a year-on-year increase of about 12 per cent.
He said all age groups recorded a higher vaccination coverage rate than the previous year.
About 1,020 kindergartens and childcare centres, 640 primary schools and 490 secondary schools had completed or would join the government’s school outreach programme which offered on-site flu vaccinations, with a higher participation rate than the last season, he said.
But Leung added that the vaccination coverage rate among those aged 50 to 64 as well as toddlers aged six months to below two years remained relatively low, at 25.3 per cent and 26.8 per cent, respectively.
He said authorities would work more closely with family doctors to help raise the vaccination coverage rate among these two age groups.


Organ donors provide the ultimate gift of life

Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority to adopt 6 measures to reduce human error

Fee increases won’t solve Hong Kong’s healthcare financing crisis

Move on embryos to help family planning in Hong Kong

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong health authorities declare winter flu season over but warn of summer peak

A man walks past an Infection Control Notice at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei. Photo: Edmond So

Health authorities have declared the end of the winter flu season, but warn cases are likely to spike over the coming summer. Photo: Dickson Lee

Hong Kong lawmakers call for simpler fee waiver process under healthcare reform

Patients at the accident and emergency department of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei. Photo: Jelly Tse

A patient is wheeled into the A&E department of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei. Photo: Jelly Tse

Hong Kong public hospital staff raise patient conflict concerns over fee reform

A patient is wheeled onto a non-emergency ambulance at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei. Photo: Jelly Tse

Patients at a payment counter at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei. Photo: Jelly Tse

News

Hong Kong

Health & Environment

City records 488 severe cases in adults over winter, with 330 deaths – lower than the last flu season before Covid-19 pandemic


City records 488 severe cases in adults over winter, with 330 deaths – lower than the last flu season before Covid-19 pandemic.


Flu in Hong Kong

Hong Kong society