A medical worker prepares a dose of China's Sinovac COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine at a community vaccination center in Hong Kong, Feb 25, 2022. (PHOTO / AP)

HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s health chief cautioned that although the COVID-19 situation no longer constitutes a public health emergency globally, the pandemic is still ongoing, and the number of locally transmitted cases also shows a significant increase recently.

“The government will continue to closely monitor the latest situation and risks of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases with an emphasis on the protection of high-risk groups, making every effort to safeguard public health,” Professor Lo Chung-mau said on Wednesday while replying to related questions in the Legislative Council. 

The World Health Organization announced on May 5 that the COVID-19 situation no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. But the number of new cases of COVID infections and seasonal influenza in Hong Kong has been rising in recent days, officials said, with the Hospital Authority saying on Wednesday that over 6,000 people visited hospitals’ emergency departments every day on an average.

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“So, we would also like to call on all members of the public to receive COVID-19 vaccination and seasonal influenza vaccination, and to observe strict hygiene for self-protection,” said the secretary of health.

Apart from the COVID-19, the overall activity of local seasonal influenza also remains active, so we would also like to call on all members of the public to receive COVID-19 vaccination and seasonal influenza vaccination, and to observe strict hygiene for self-protection.

Lo Chung-mau, Secretary for Health, HKSAR

Asked about government measures to monitor the risk of the spread of the Omicron XBB.1.16 variant, which was first detected on Jan 9, he said recent genetic characterization of virus specimens and samples of severe and fatal cases show the proportion of XBB and its descendant lineages that XBB has taken up almost half of the locally infected cases, with XBB.1.16 accounting for only 1.5 percent of the total samples.

Saying that the special administrative region government has all along been responding to the COVID-19 epidemic based on the principles of science-based and targeted anti-epidemic measures, Prof Lo said with the cancellation of issuing isolation orders from Jan 30 and the lifting of the mandatory mask-wearing requirements from March 1, all social distancing measures applicable to the general public were lifted and the society has fully resumed normalcy, without any significant rebound so far. 

“Currently, we have established a system of the "new normal" and have COVID-19 managed as a type of upper respiratory tract infections, while the focus of anti-epidemic measures is the protection of the high-risk groups.”

The vaccines provided in Hong Kong, including Comirnaty and Sinovac vaccines, are both highly effective in preventing severe cases and deaths from COVID-19, he said, adding that the effective vaccination rate equivalent to having received at least three doses has reached 95 percent, “building a very effective protection barrier for the society to resume normalcy in full”. 

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The government will continue to encourage members of the public to receive COVID-19 vaccination, particularly high-risk members of the public belonging to the priority groups – individuals aged 50 or above, adults with underlying comorbidities, persons with immunocompromising conditions, pregnant women and healthcare workers, he added.

“We will also ensure the prevention and treatment capabilities of the healthcare system, so as to cope with the medical needs brought about by the changes in epidemic situation.”