Hong Kong’s Covid fight cannot be based on overseas practice alone, says health chief

Hong Kong’s health chief said the city’s Covid fight cannot be based on overseas practices or theories alone.  

His comments came after two expert advisors for the government earlier suggested Hong Kong gradually relax its social distancing measures so that the population can achieve a “hybrid immunity” from inoculation and a low level of natural infection before winter.  

The two experts - microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung and clinical professor Ivan Hung Fan-ngai made the suggestion in an article they penned with two other colleagues from the University of Hong Kong - Clinical assistant professor Siddharth Sridhar and honorary clinical associate professor David Lung.  

Speaking at a Legco meeting on Thursday, health secretary Lo Chung-mau said authorities have fully communicated with the government expert panel last month, explaining to the expert members that the formulation of Hong Kong’s anti-epidemic measures could not solely be based on overseas practices.  

He stressed that the measures must also take into account the city’s demographic structure, vaccination rate, and the capacity of its healthcare system.  

Lo also noted that the government will soon call a meeting with the expert panel for the first time since adding fresh faces to the advisory group last week.  

He expected that, after the meeting, members of the group would systematically and centrally disseminate anti-epidemic information to avoid confusion among citizens.  

Hung, along with University of Hong Kong scholars Wallace Lau Chak-sing, and Lau Yu-lung were appointed as Covid advisers to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu last week.  

The three will join three incumbent members, Yuen, Gabriel Leung, and David Hui Shu-cheong, in the panel that discusses all matters related to Covid.