Chinese medicine school at Hong Kong’s Baptist University to launch free ‘long Covid’ treatment scheme
- Top Chinese medical school to give free consultations and treatment to elderly and others suffering from ‘long Covid’
- University professor says traditional Chinese medicine can offer relief for ‘long Covid’ symptoms
Hong Kong’s leading traditional Chinese medical school pledged on Wednesday to offer free consultation sessions and medicine for up to 50,000 residents with “long Covid”.
The rehabilitation scheme, run by Baptist University, has already opened online registration and will target recovered elderly people aged 65 and over and those who were previously hospitalised with Covid-19 but have now been cleared of the virus.
“Many recovered patients have ‘long Covid’ symptoms such as a cough, shortness of breath, insomnia, hair loss, skin irritation and fatigue. Chinese medicine has rich experience in treating these symptoms effectively,” said Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, associate vice-president of Chinese medicine development at the university.
“Through this programme, we hope to further strengthen the role of Chinese medicine in the fight against the pandemic and relieve the issues encountered by recovering patients, thus improving their quality of life.”
He added that the initiative was expected to benefit between 20,000 and 50,000 people.
The programme was announced as health officials on Wednesday confirmed 10,194 new coronavirus infections, including 164 imported cases, as well as 16 more deaths.