Hong Kong’s first nasal spray flu vaccine should be trialled in mainland China to speed up process, top HKU microbiologist says
Leading flu expert Yuen Kwok-yung says method is fastest way to get product to market, after outbreak claims 83 lives this year
Hong Kong’s first locally developed nasal spray flu vaccine could be made available in three years by conducting clinical trials in mainland China and seeking approval from the national drug authority instead of waiting for endorsement from local officials, according to the city’s top microbiologist.
University of Hong Kong professor Yuen Kwok-yung on Sunday said he hoped the spray would be in use before his retirement at the end of 2021, to help increase vaccination rates in the city. His comments come as a deadly winter flu outbreak places huge pressure on public hospitals.
Yuen said he expected the peak of the current flu outbreak to last at least a few more weeks, and warned that another outbreak, this time influenza A, was likely to follow the current spread of influenza B. He urged groups at high risk of infection to get a flu jab.
Private doctors however said the supply of injected vaccine in the city was insufficient to meet their needs and many clinics had found themselves short of the substance for weeks due to a surge in patient numbers.
The high demand has also stretched to breaking point understaffed public hospitals, leading to an outcry from nurses which prompted Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor last Tuesday to pump HK$500 million (US$64 million) into hospitals to cope with the flu outbreak.