'Severe' week brings surgery delay

More than half of non-emergency surgeries will be postponed in the coming two weeks, the Hospital Authority's chief manager for cluster performance, Ian Cheung Tsz-fung, said yesterday, adding that the coming week will pose a "severe" test.

Linda Yu Wai-ling, chief manager for clinical effectiveness and technology management, said 1,007 negative pressure beds were available yesterday, with occupancy standing at almost 70 percent.

The authority can, at most, provide around 1,200 first-tier isolation beds and 500 second-tier ones transformed from ordinary wards. As of yesterday, 20 Covid-19 patients were waiting to be sent to hospitals.

"Over half of non-emergency surgeries and body checks requiring hospitalization, especially procedures leading to intensive care, will need to be postponed," Cheung said.

"More than 50 newly diagnosed patients were admitted to isolation wards every day in the past week, while their close contacts and suspected patients also needed to be isolated, creating very heavy pressure on these facilities."

He pointed out that isolation wards cannot be fully occupied as a certain proportion must be reserved for emergency patients.

Cheung said public specialist outpatient clinics will have to receive 20 to 30 percent fewer new cases and stable patients will be arranged prescription for stay-home treatment, affecting several thousand patients per day.

Meanwhile, MTR Corp has reduced non-peak service frequencies starting today, citing a significant decrease in patronage amid tighter social distancing.

Non-peak services on weekdays and all services on weekends and public holidays on Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong, Island, South Island, Tseung Kwan O, East Rail and West Rail lines will be kept at intervals of 3 to eight minutes.

"Passengers may experience an extra waiting time of between about half a minute and two minutes on average," a spokesman said.

Non-peak services on Tung Chung and Tuen Ma lines will be adjusted to 10-minute intervals. The Airport Express and Disneyland Resort line stay unchanged at intervals of 15 to 30 minutes and 20 minutes, respectively.