Hong Kong to double number of public hospital beds for Covid patients to 5,000, with plan set to reduce non-emergency services by 20 per cent

Hong Kong will double the number of public hospital beds set aside for Covid-19 patients to 5,000 as part of anti-epidemic contingency measures, health authorities have said, with the decision set to affect 20 per cent of all non-emergency services.

The government on Tuesday also announced it would allow travellers undergoing medical surveillance as part of the city’s “3+4” plan to visit business-to-business (B2B) exhibitions and activities from Thursday, following several appeals from members of the city’s convention sector.

With the city’s daily coronavirus tally reaching 6,654 cases, the Hospital Authority said it would designate more beds and resources to cope with the rise in patients.

Dr Larry Lee Lap-yip, a chief manager at the authority, said the government would begin the third phase of its epidemic response plan, with the number of hospital beds for coronavirus cases to be increased to 5,000 from the previous 2,500.

He added that about 20 per cent of services at public hospitals would be affected by the decision, including reductions in the number of non-emergency treatments and surgical procedures. Non-coronavirus patients would also experience prolonged waits for medical consultations and check-ups.

“To prevent the pandemic from further worsening and ensure suitable treatments for infected persons, public hospitals will need to pay a not-so-small price and sacrifice a number of their original services,” he said.

“We hope the public will understand that although the conditions of the hospitalised patients are stable, the situation is not as mild as everyone imagines it to be.”