More than 1,200 Covid-19 patients have been diagnosed in Hong Kong. It is hard to overstate how difficult it has been to manage a flood of patient-related information under intense pressure. Since the outbreak of the Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic in 2003, the Hospital Authority has been developing different information technology tools to help manage territory-wide infectious disease outbreaks. Hence, this time, we were able to quickly activate an electronic platform, the e-novel infectious disease (E-NID) system, in early January for our clinicians to record and monitor any suspected case immediately – so as to arrange for proper testing and isolation without delay. E-NID also shares real-time information with the Centre for Health Protection, to facilitate the government’s coordination of patient care and carry out proper contact tracing more effectively and efficiently. In mid-March, thousands of students returned to Hong Kong from overseas. To triage the returnees, the Hospital Authority set up a temporary test centre in the AsiaWorld-Expo, which was a milestone in managing this epidemic. We took less than 48 hours to set up the E-NID and other IT systems there to help our frontline clinicians carry out their duties in a venue originally built for hosting exhibitions and conventions. This epidemic has thrown up many health care challenges. However, it has also given us an opportunity to speed up the development of IT tools. In the past six months, our staff have started to offer patients an e-visiting option whereby they can interact with relatives through videoconferencing technology and mobile devices. Our clinicians also made use of IT techniques to develop a variety of tele-care and tele-rehabilitation services for patients who were not able to visit hospitals or clinics for appointments. Although videoconferencing technology is nothing new, its application in our health care service definitely marks a milestone. Besides, we will also expand the usage of HA Go , our one-stop app for patients, to allow them to access their medical records, make appointments, pay hospital fees and access health-related information online. The experience gained from previous epidemics has enabled us to apply new IT initiatives to manage this coronavirus epidemic more effectively, as well as to enhance our future IT strategy and move in the direction of a “smart hospital” system. IT has been an important tool for us to manage and fight the epidemic this time. We will build on the experience gained and continue to improve our IT systems for the post-Covid 19 world and stand prepared for any future infectious disease outbreak. Dr N.T. Cheung, head, Information Technology and Health Informatics, Hospital Authority