Hong Kong records 21 deaths among 37 serious flu cases in single week, with more than half of group unvaccinated
- Respiratory expert David Hui from CUHK warns influenza season to peak between January and March, potentially overlapping with Covid outbreak
- He says flu shots at this point are more important than Covid boosters as most of the population has been infected or inoculated against coronavirus
Hong Kong recorded 21 deaths from 37 serious flu cases in adults in a single week, with more than half of the total number unvaccinated, prompting a medical expert to remind residents to get their jabs ahead of the winter peak season.
Respiratory expert David Hui Shu-cheong from Chinese University on Saturday warned the influenza season was expected to peak from January to March, potentially overlapping with a predicted coronavirus outbreak from November.
He argued it was in fact more pressing for Hongkongers to get a flu jab than a Covid-19 booster. “We have not come across the flu for three years so it would be tough for those who get infected,” Hui told a radio programme.
“Whereas we have already encountered the coronavirus for three years, with many already inoculated or infected and its symptoms also getting mild.”
According to the latest data published by the Centre for Health Protection on Thursday, another 37 severe flu cases in adults – with only 15 vaccinated – were recorded between October 1 and 7. The vaccination status of the 21 fatalities from this group is unknown.
A total of 232 severe adult cases have already been recorded since the start of the summer flu season in August this year, with 141 deaths to date.
Hong Kong ‘likely’ to give out seasonal flu, Covid-19 shots at same time
A six-year-old girl who had not received any flu jab also suffered from severe pneumonia after contracting Influenza A last week, the centre added.
Hui called on members of the public to get their flu shot even if they already received one in the past year, as the new jabs covered the latest strains highlighted by the World Health Organization.
Medical experts sitting in a committee reviewing strategies for public health management earlier this week recommended that Hongkongers receive a third-generation Covid-19 jab targeting the XBB variant for better protection ahead of a winter surge.
Private doctors hit with flu shot shortages; 15 new Covid-19 cases confirmed
Hui, who serves as chairman of the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, called on high-risk groups, including people aged 18 to 49 with chronic diseases and immunocompromised children at least six months old, to get a Covid-19 booster if more than six months had passed since their last vaccination or infection.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau on Friday said authorities were considering expanding the city’s sewage monitoring system to screen for infectious diseases besides Covid-19, such as the flu.
The coming winter was the first since the lifting of the city’s mask mandate, with the government anticipating a possible outbreak of upper respiratory tract infections, particularly a seasonal flu, the minister added.
