Wallis Wang
The number of seasonal influenza infection cases is yet to peak and an upward trend is expected to continue, expert David Hui Shu-cheong said, although he is not expecting a massive outbreak in Hong Kong.
Hui, a respiratory expert with Chinese University, said yesterday that the infection rate for seasonal flu among Hongkongers dropped at one stage last month but increased to 14.8 percent again last week, showing flu infections are still picking up and has yet to reach a peak.
Many Hongkongers are still wearing masks, which can protect them from it.
”The infection numbers changed constantly over the past two weeks and we still need to observe the situation,” he said.
Hui said the SAR is expected to see a winter flu peak from January to March and the seriousness of the outbreak will be the same as in past years.
But he said children below five years old and the elderly aged above 65 will run a higher risk of serious complications. The influenza A virus subtype H3N2 is more dangerous to the elderly while H1N1 will lead to serious illnesses among children, Hui added.
He urged people to get vaccinated against seasonal influenza to boost their antibody levels and prevent severe illness and death.
”The SAR usually faces a massive and serious winter flu peak between January and March, which is more serious than in the summer. It’s appropriate for people to get vaccinated now in October as it will take two weeks to generate antibodies upon receiving the jabs,” he said.
”The vaccine can protect people for around six months or longer. People can be protected by the antibodies in the winter peak if they get vaccinated now.”
Hong Kong will see another Covid-19 wave of infections from this month to December, and around 100 to 120 Covid patients have been admitted to hospitals.
The Covid outbreak last peaked from April to June, and antibody levels have begun to drop, he said.
Hui said most patients contracted the Omicron XBB subvariant during the current outbreak and local experts will hold a meeting this week to discuss whether the SAR should import new Covid vaccines against the XBB strain.
”[The new vaccines] use the XBB.1.5 strain as the major antigen and people who have received the vaccines will have a higher antibody level against the XBB subvariant. The vaccines will also protect people from the EG.5.1 and BA.2.86 strains which are spreading overseas,” Hui said.
He said the new vaccines can be used as booster shots, adding the government may only offer subsidies for the new jabs to the elderly, the pregnant and other high-risk groups.
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