DH urges public to receive initial and booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine at appropriate time as COVID-19 activity reaches six-month high in Hong Kong
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"The overall activity of COVID-19 in the local community has continued to rise since mid-March of this year. According to the latest surveillance data as of the week ending April 19, the viral load of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from sewage surveillance, the test positivity rate and the average consultation rate of COVID-19 cases in general out-patient clinics have continued to rise over the past four weeks. In particular, the percentage of respiratory samples testing positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus increased to 8.21 per cent from 1.71 per cent four weeks ago (the week of March 16 to 22), a record high in the past six months. The viral load per capita of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was around 440 000 copy/litre, significantly increased from 260 000 copy/litre four weeks ago. Furthermore, sewage surveillance data showed that the local prevalence of XDV was on the rise. As XDV is a JN.1-related variant, the COVID-19 vaccines currently used in Hong Kong are still effective in preventing it," the Controller of the CHP, Dr Edwin Tsui, said.
"In the past four weeks (March 23 to April 19), the CHP recorded a total of 40 severe cases related to COVID-19 (including 10 fatal cases), with the majority of the patients being elderly persons aged 65 or above. More than 90 per cent of them had not received a COVID-19 vaccine in the past six months. Scientific data shows that timely booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for high-risk persons help lower the risk of severe illness and death," he added.
"Members of the public who have not received the initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (including infants and children) should get vaccinated as soon as possible. Those at high risk (particularly the elderly and persons with underlying comorbidities) should receive a booster dose as soon as possible for effective prevention against COVID-19 to minimise the risk of serious complications and death after infection," Dr Tsui said.
In view of the latest situation of COVID-19, the Hospital Authority (HA) has made necessary preparations to cope with the possible surge in service demand. The HA has been monitoring the daily service statistics of public hospitals (including the number of first attendances at the Accident and Emergency Departments (AEDs), the number of in-patient admissions to medical wards via AEDs and the in-patient bed occupancy rates) as well as the laboratory positivity rates of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses, and will flexibly deploy hospital beds, resources and manpower in a timely manner. In light of the Easter long holiday and the upcoming Labour Day and Buddha's Birthday holidays, as well as the recent increase in the activity of COVID-19 in the local community, the HA has activated service demand surge special measures since April 14, 2025, to cope with the potential increase in service demand, including increasing manpower in AEDs and medical departments during specific peak days and periods to shorten patients' waiting times for consultations and in-patient admissions at AEDs, strengthening the gatekeeping role of Emergency Medicine wards, and co-ordinating logistics and workflow for hospital discharges through the Hospital Command Centre to expedite the workflow of discharge or transfer of patients to convalescent hospitals.
Apart from vaccination, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community, the public should maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene at all times and note the following:
- Patients can wear surgical masks to prevent the transmission of respiratory viruses. Therefore, it is essential for persons who are symptomatic (even if having mild symptoms) to wear a surgical mask;
- High-risk persons (e.g. persons with underlying medical conditions or persons who are immunocompromised) should wear surgical masks when visiting public places. The general public should also wear a surgical mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. It is important to wear a mask properly, including performing hand hygiene before wearing and after removing a mask;
- Avoid touching one's eyes, mouth and nose;
- Practise hand hygiene frequently, wash hands with liquid soap and water properly whenever possibly contaminated;
- When hands are not visibly soiled, clean them with 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based handrub;
- Cover the mouth and nose with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of soiled tissue paper properly into a lidded rubbish bin, and wash hands thoroughly afterwards;
- Maintain good indoor ventilation;
- Avoid sharing personal items;
- When having respiratory symptoms, wear a surgical mask, consider to refrain from going to work or school, avoid going to crowded places and seek medical advice promptly; and
- Maintain a balanced diet, perform physical activity regularly, take adequate rest, do not smoke and avoid overstress.
The CHP will continue to monitor the local situation of COVID-19 through means such as sewage surveillance, the number of severe/death cases, and relevant laboratory testing figures on human infections. For the latest surveillance data, members of the public can refer to the CHP's weekly COVID-19 & Flu Express. For more information on vaccination, please refer to the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme webpage.
Ends/Friday, April 25, 2025
Issued at HKT 18:55
Issued at HKT 18:55
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