HK’s Covid wave plateaus but high transmission to continue

The Centre for Health Protection reported early signs of slowing growth in Covid-19 activity on Friday, though officials warned transmission would likely remain high in the coming weeks.

Edwin Tsui Lok-kin, Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, noted that while the current uptick in cases since April follows patterns seen in last July-August's wave, recent surveillance data suggests the surge may be peaking.

Between May 10 to 17, the positivity rate for respiratory samples inched up only slightly from 13.66 percent to 13.8 percent, while sewage surveillance showed viral copies rising from 710,000 to 770,000 per liter - a markedly slower increase than previous weeks.

"The current wave was anticipated given the half-year gap since our last significant surge," Tsui explained, emphasizing that most community cases now present mild, cold-like symptoms.

However, he urged vigilance among high-risk groups, including seniors, young children, and the immunocompromised, advising them to get free booster shots to reduce severe outcomes.