Assurance on drugs after rush to pharmacies

Secretary of Health Lo Chung-mau said the administration will ensure a sufficient supply of medicine for tackling Covid-19 symptoms after the price of fever reliever Panadol more than doubled to HK$70.

Other drugs to ward off fever and Lianhua Qingwen traditional Chinese medicine for Covid symptoms have been snapped up at some pharmacies as people rush to send them to the mainland after the central government eased restrictions and allowed asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients to undergo home isolation.

Lo also said yesterday that authorities will ensure a sufficient supply of medications, especially in the public health system, so local people can receive treatment.

There was no need to store a large quantity of medications, he said, so "people do not have to overreact or buy a lot of drugs, causing a shortage."

Some Hongkongers have been buying drugs in bulk to send to their friends and relatives in the mainland after Beijing canceled real-name drug registration, leading to a surge in demand for medications. At least 10 pharmacies in Sham Shui Po said fever relievers were out of stock as some customers bought dozens of boxes.

Lam Wai-man, chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Pharmacy, said the number of people buying Panadol had increased 30-40 percent over the past week, and most buyers intended to send them to the mainland.

But Lam said the supply of Panadol in Hong Kong is sufficient and it will not sell out.

Legislative Council member Edward Leung Hei of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong said the price of Panadol had been rising since Thursday with some pharmacies selling the drug for over HK$70 per box - more than double what was until last week its regular price of around HK$30.

Leung added that medications are not allowed to be delivered to the mainland, but some cross-border drivers and travelers carry them on their own account.

The mainland yesterday reported 10,597 local infections, including 2,526 in Guangdong and 1,661 in Beijing.

But some cities including Beijing have seen a sharp decrease in economic activity after rules such as regular testing were scrapped.

Anecdotal evidence suggests many businesses have been forced to close as infected workers were quarantining at home while many other people apparently decided not to go out because of a higher risk of infection.

Prominent epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan noted that the Omicron strain of the virus now prevalent in China is highly transmissible. It is reckoned one infected person can spread it to as many as 18 others.

"We can see that hundreds of thousands are infected in several major cities," he said.

Zhong also said it would be months before there would be a return to normal, adding: "My opinion is after March."

Facing a surge in Covid cases, mainland authorities are also setting up more intensive care facilities and trying to strengthen hospitals.

Experts cited by state media called on people to reduce the strain on hospitals by treating mild cases at home.

Patients are also standing in line for up to six hours at clinics.

And accounts on social media say some hospitals are turning away people who are not deemed to be seriously ill.