Hong Kong flu season ends as patient numbers and hospital admissions drop, while rise of Covid cases slows
- Under 4 per cent of respiratory specimens handled by public laboratories tested positive for flu last week
- Number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise but health authorities say rate has ‘significantly slowed’
Hong Kong’s seven-week-long influenza season has come to an end with the number of cases continuing to drop, health authorities have announced.
The Centre for Health Protection on Thursday said the flu season, which started in early April and peaked near the end of the month, had finished as there was a downward trend in positive results in laboratory specimens and hospital admissions.
But it appealed to people to remain vigilant. “The public is reminded to continue to maintain personal, hand and environmental hygiene to prevent respiratory infections, including Covid-19,” the centre said.
According to the latest surveillance statistics published on Thursday, just 3.83 per cent of respiratory specimens handled by public laboratories tested positive for flu last week, a drop from 18.2 per cent around a month ago.
A rate above 9.21 per cent would be considered the start of a flu season.
The number of people admitted to public hospitals with a primary flu diagnosis has also dropped to 0.23 per 10,000 people, down from the peak of 1.13.
Reports of outbreaks of flu-like illnesses in schools and care homes, and severe flu cases, have also decreased.
