Pandemic Advisor Prefers Covid Review To Inquiry

Government pandemic advisor Wallace Lau on Saturday expressed reservations about the need to launch an independent inquiry into the administration's handling of the Covid outbreak.

But Lau, who is also dean of medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), said it's necessary to look at the response to the coronavirus.

"We always review ourselves, whatever we do. We always look back and see whether we could do better. And I think that is something that we should do. But whether we need a special investigation panel, I personally feel we are not quite there yet," he said after attending a radio programme.

"The pandemic is not over. Even when the pandemic is over, there is still a lot of work for all of us to do. The scope is going to be so wide, I think one needs very careful considerations as to what we want to look at."

His comments come after another expert advising the government, HKU microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung, on Thursday called for a probe so Hong Kong could be better prepared for the next pandemic.

Lau, meanwhile, said people still have to improve their immunity against Covid which is going to stay. He said regular - perhaps annual - vaccination was needed, particularly for those people who are at risk.

On whether to make regular inoculation mandatory, he said he hoped people would be self-disciplined.