COVID-19 and Influenza Surge in Hong Kong; DH Urges Public to Maintain Hygiene and Wear Masks

DH urges public to maintain personal and environmental hygiene as COVID-19 and influenza activities continue to rise

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) said today (July 16) that both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza activities rose further last week, with COVID-19 activity reaching a one-year high. This suggested that COVID-19 has entered a new active cycle. Similar trends have been observed in neighbouring regions. The CHP anticipated that activity levels for both COVID-19 and influenza will remain high in the coming weeks. Members of the public, whether staying in Hong Kong or travelling outside, should maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene. High-risk individuals, such as those with underlying illnesses or persons who are immunocompromised, should wear a surgical mask when using public transport or staying in crowded places.

COVID-19

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Surveillance data revealed that overall local COVID-19 activity has been on an upward trend since June. The percentage of respiratory samples testing positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus rose from less than 1 per cent at the end of May to 9.79 per cent last week (July 5 to 11). During the same period, there was also a significant increase in the consultation rate of COVID-19 cases at Accident and Emergency Departments, family medicine clinics and sentinel private medical practitioner clinics. Regarding sewage surveillance, the viral load per capita of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was approximately 500 000 copies per litre, a significant increase from less than 100 000 copies per litre before the end of May. Over the past four weeks, the CHP recorded a total of 45 COVID-19 severe cases involving adults (including seven fatal cases). Epidemiological investigations showed that 80 per cent of these cases involved persons aged 65 or above. More than 90 per cent of these elderly cases had underlying illnesses. All of these cases had not received a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine within the past six months. As for children, the CHP recorded two severe cases in June. Neither of them had received COVID-19 vaccination.

"The latest surveillance data indicated that COVID-19 activity has entered a new periodic active cycle. The COVID-19 activity in neighbouring regions has also recorded an increase in recent months, including the Chinese Mainland, the Macao Special Administrative Region, Japan, Korea and Singapore. Over the past few years, an active period of COVID-19 activity levels generally occurs approximately every six to nine months in Hong Kong. Each active period is associated with changes in predominant circulating variants and a decline in community herd immunity. The active period last year lasted from April to the end of June. Based on historical epidemiological data, we expect COVID-19 activity to remain relatively high level over the next one to two months," said the Controller of the CHP, Dr Edwin Tsui.

The Controller of the CHP, Dr Edwin Tsui, Photo source: reference image

"The latest sewage surveillance data and genetic analysis of positive respiratory specimens indicated that NB.1.8.1 and its descendant lineages (mainly PQ.16.1.1) are currently the most prevalent variants in Hong Kong. PQ.16.1.1 is a descendant lineage derived from NB.1.8.1, which has been widely prevalent locally for over a year. There is currently no evidence that PQ.16.1.1 causes more severe diseases or has higher transmissibility than previously dominating variant strains. As NB.1.8.1 (including PQ.16.1.1) is a JN.1-related variant, the COVID-19 vaccines currently used in Hong Kong are effective in preventing severe disease and death," added Dr Tsui.

"COVID-19 vaccines are effective in reducing hospitalisation and death rates after infection. High-risk individuals should receive a booster dose at appropriate times six months after their last vaccine dose or COVID-19 infection, whichever is later, regardless of the number of doses previously received. COVID-19 vaccine for adults under the Government's COVID-19 Vaccination Programme (the Programme) will expire in early September this year. The Government is procuring a new batch of COVID-19 vaccine according to the recommendations on antigen composition made by the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases and Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases under the CHP. As the production and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to Hong Kong with the new composition will take time, eligible persons will temporarily be unable to receive free COVID-19 vaccines through the Programme during the transition period before a new batch of vaccines arrive in Hong Kong. Therefore, those in need, especially the elderly, are advised to act promptly and make appointments as early as possible via the Government's online booking platform. Existing vaccination services for individuals aged 12 or above will continue until September 5. As the COVID-19 vaccines for individuals aged 6 months to 11 years have already expired, vaccination services for this age group under the Programme will resume in an orderly manner in the fourth quarter this year once a new batch of vaccines arrives in Hong Kong. Details will be announced in due course," said Dr Tsui.

Seasonal influenza

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Hong Kong entered the influenza season in late June. The latest surveillance data revealed that the percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for seasonal influenza viruses was 8.75 per cent and the influenza admission rate in public hospitals was 0.55 cases per 10 000 population last week. Both indicators increased last week. The predominant influenza viruses detected were influenza A (H3) (53 per cent), followed by influenza A (H1) (33 per cent) and influenza B (14 per cent).

The Government is actively making preparations for the 2026/27 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination programmes, including vaccine procurement and publicity. Details of the arrangements, such as eligible groups and vaccination venues, will be announced in due course.

To prevent respiratory diseases, members of the public should maintain good personal, hand and environmental hygiene at all times. Given the current high levels of respiratory disease activity, high-risk individuals should wear surgical masks when visiting public places. The general public should also wear surgical masks when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. Those with symptoms of a respiratory infection, even if mild, should wear a surgical mask, avoid crowded areas and seek medical advice promptly. If symptomatic individuals live with high-risk or immunocompromised persons, they should also wear a surgical mask at home to minimise the risk of cross-infection. They should also ensure proper ventilation indoors and enhance the cleaning and disinfection of the household environment.

Members of the public planning to travel outside Hong Kong during the summer vacation should visit the DH's Travel Health Service webpage before departure to learn about infectious disease situations in other regions and take appropriate precautions against common or travel-related infectious diseases.

The Centre for Health Protection, Photo source: reference image

CFS urges public not to consume batch of imported spread product suspected to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (August 18) urged the public not to consume a batch of spread product imported from France due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The trade should stop using or selling the affected batch of the product immediately if they possess it.

Product details are as follows:

Product name: Ktipiti Extra Red Pepper & Feta Cheese Spread

Brand: L'atelier Blini

Place of origin: France

Net weight: 175 grams

Batch number: 12262661

Use-by date: August 30, 2026

Importer: City Super Limited

"The CFS, through its Food Incident Surveillance System, noted a notification from the Rappel Conso of France that the above-mentioned product is being recalled as it might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes due to suspected issue with the cold chain. Upon learning of the incident, the CFS immediately contacted local importers to follow up. A preliminary investigation found that the above-mentioned importer had imported into Hong Kong the affected batch of the product concerned," a spokesman for the CFS said.

As a precautionary measure, the importer concerned has stopped sales and removed from shelves the affected batch of the product and has initiated a recall according to the CFS's instructions. Members of the public may call the importer's hotline at 2736 3866 during office hours for enquiries about the recall.

"Listeria monocytogenes can be easily destroyed by cooking but can survive and multiply at refrigerator temperatures. Most healthy individuals do not develop symptoms or only have mild symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, headache, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea when infected. However, severe complications such as septicaemia, meningitis or even death may occur in newborns, the elderly and those with a weaker immune system. Although infected pregnant women may just experience mild symptoms generally, the infection of Listeria monocytogenes may cause miscarriage, infant death, preterm birth, or severe infection in newborns," the spokesman added.

"In order to reduce the risk of listeriosis, susceptible populations such as pregnant women should consume freshly prepared hot food where possible, reheat chilled food until it is hot all the way through, and avoid high-risk foods, including ready-to-eat food such as cold cuts, cold smoked seafood, soft cheeses, salads, etc, or cook them thoroughly before consumption, even if they are presented as part of a dish."

The spokesman advised members of the public to stop consuming the affected batch of the product and seek medical treatment if they feel unwell after consuming the product concerned.

The CFS has contacted the French authority over the incident and will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health. The investigation is ongoing.

Source: AI-found images