Hong Kong has sufficient Covid beds in public hospitals: Hospital Authority

The Hospital Authority’s Chief Manager, Michael Wong Lap-gate, said on Wednesday that there are more than enough Covid beds at public hospitals to handle the city’s current Covid situation. 

Speaking on a radio program this morning, Wong said around 60 to 80 confirmed patients require hospitalization from some 1000 to 2000 cases daily, not posing significant pressure on the local healthcare system.  

There are currently around 600 Covid patients staying in public hospitals, he added.  

The top HA official said they could scramble up to 11,500 Covid beds within two weeks should the number of patients needing hospital care spike.  

“We have 500 Covid beds that can be mobilized immediately, with the number of beds available increased to 2,000 within 48 hours,” said Wong.  

Meanwhile, he said hospitals have already established a workforce deployment plan after experiencing the previous Covid waves, with clear guidelines in place determining who should be deployed to the city’s Covid facilities and at what time.