Hong Kong’s current Covid-19 wave has peaked, health expert Leung Chi-chiu says

Hong Kong’s current wave of Covid-19 has already reached its peak, respiratory expert Leung Chi-chiu said as the city recorded a downward trend in daily cases during recent days.

Health authorities confirmed 7,938 fresh cases on Monday, the third consecutive day the daily caseload was below the 10,000 mark. The figure is also the lowest in 17 days, after it peaked on September 8 with 11,091 cases.

Speaking on a radio program Tuesday morning, Leung said the proportion of BA.4 and BA.5 cases has increased for only 10 percent in the past week, showing signs that the spread of the subvariant is slowing down.

He believed the epidemic has already peaked on September 9 according to the city’s 7-day rolling average of new cases.

The expert also noted that with schools resuming classes today after the holidays, the infection number may go back up - but only for a short while.

Commenting on the city’s border control measures, Leung said as long as the city’s infection has passed its peak, with the situation no longer a threat to the local healthcare system, the SAR government could review the restrictions.

Speaking on the same program, lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan said authorities should hold a conservative approach to the virus, and should not give up on the current anti-epidemic measures despite the recent drop in the case number.

Measures including the overnight lockdowns and the mandatory testing requirements could effectively screen out Covid cases, said Chan.