Hospitals see rush of patients amid flu surge and end of Lunar New Year break, resulting in waits of over eight hours
There remains a desperate need for flu vaccines across the city, with the winter flu peak season expected to last until the end of May
Overburdened public hospitals in Hong Kong saw a rush of patients on Tuesday, the first work day after the Lunar New Year break, as the city continued to battle the winter flu surge.
The onslaught meant those with less severe symptoms were forced to wait for more than eight hours to see a doctor.
This was the case at lunchtime at the accident and emergency (A&E) units of five hospitals: Queen Elizabeth, United Christian and Tseung Kwan O in Kowloon, and Prince of Wales and Tuen Mun in the New Territories.
The situation was better on Hong Kong Island, with patients told to wait for either over one or two hours at three hospitals before they could see a doctor.
There remains a desperate need for flu vaccines across the city, as hospital wards are packed to maximum capacity with flu patients.
Hong Kong’s ‘war on flu’ rages on as hospitals brace for surge in patients after Lunar New Year break
The Hospital Authority said the 17 public hospitals it managed dealt with 6,595 accident and emergency cases on Monday, with the overall occupancy rate of inpatient beds at 119 per cent, an increase from 111 per cent from Sunday.