Mainland Experts Gave 'constructive Views': David Hui

Government pandemic adviser David Hui says mainland experts have given constructive advice on how Hong Kong can better support Covid patients and better communicate with the public, but said whether any suggestions can be put into practice depends on resources.

Hui was speaking to reporters on Monday after four mainland experts inspected the Prince of Wales Hospital.

The respiratory medicine expert from Chinese University said he was told that conditions of Covid patients on the mainland are updated every four hours to enable more efficient staff deployment.

He said experts had told him mainland hospitals are equipped with dedicated scanners for Covid patients and specialised equipment to monitor critically-ill patients.

The mainland experts also pointed out providing nutrition-rich food to patients can speed up their recovery, Hui added.

Hui also said the mainland experts suggested providing designated hotels for off-duty medical personnel, in particular those working at the intensive care units, to reduce their chance of cross-infection in the community.

Hui added his mainland counterparts had suggested that the Hospital Authority (HA) gives a more detailed account of Covid-related deaths, such as whether the deceased were vaccinated, had suffered long-term illnesses and whether their families agreed to give up on treatment.

"They think if the death cases are not communicated well, it may scare the public and even the leaders," he said, adding that he believed more details could be provided to the public during the daily press briefing.

Hui also said the measures suggested by mainland experts are worth learning but whether they could all be implemented will depend on the resources of the HA and the government.