Flu Warning Issued Ahead Of Winter Peak

Health authorities have warned that people may be more susceptible to the flu in the upcoming winter peak, having worn masks for months in the fight against Covid.

Dr Ian Cheung, a chief manager of the Hospital Authority, said on Thursday that since people began wearing a mask and travel restrictions were in place earlier in the year, there was a low prevalence of flu in Hong Kong in the last winter and summer peak periods.

Cheung added that may affect people’s immunity because the public had not been exposed to the flu virus.

So he believes it’s better for people to take flu jabs to minimise the chance of being infected ahead of the winter peak.

The warning came as the Hospital Authority said public hospitals will provide a testing service that can detect the flu and Covid-19 viruses in one go for patients with influenza-like symptoms.

The authority plans to roll out the scheme in January, when the winter peak flu season usually kicks in.

Cheung said the combo test, which takes around several hours, could save time when separate tests are now needed to detect the two viruses.

“The efficacy [of the combined test] is the equivalent to what we are doing separately,” Cheung said.

“If we can have two tests result [in one go]... it’s helpful to our clinicians to make decisions to give treatment.

"It will help us to decide what kind of treatment is best for the patients.”

The Hospital Authority also said a community treatment facility set up at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Lantau will be used to treat patients with mild symptoms when necessary as part of measures to combat the upcoming peak flu season.

It said there are 1,900 beds there, and the plan can help to reserve manpower to handle patients at public hospitals who are more seriously ill.