8187 confirmed cases and 6 more people died Protection Center: The new crown is still more serious than the flu

Au Jiarong, Chief Physician, Infectious Diseases Division, Centre for Health Protection

The Department of Health announced today (15th) that there were 8,187 new confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in Hong Kong, including 8,023 local cases and 164 imported cases, and 6 more patients, aged between 73 and 95, passed away. Completed three doses of the new crown vaccine.

Today, there were 8 more residential care homes for the elderly, a total of 13 residents and 1 staff member were diagnosed with confirmed cases, and there were confirmed cases in 3 residential care homes for the disabled. A total of 88 people were classified as close contacts and required isolation and quarantine.

As for school cases, 1,064 new cases were reported by schools today, including 893 student cases and 171 staff cases, involving a total of 664 schools. Today, 12 new school classes have clustered cases, and a total of 13 classes need to be suspended. In addition, there are 7 schools that had individual classes suspended earlier, and face-to-face teaching will be suspended for new classes.

In addition, an outbreak occurred in the internal medicine and geriatric wards of Pok Oi Hospital. An 86-year-old male patient was diagnosed a few days ago. After tracking, three more patients between the ages of 66 and 90 were diagnosed. Four patients are currently being isolated for treatment and are in stable condition.

The Center for Health Protection pointed out that BA.4 or 5 currently accounts for 79.6% of the total cases, and the rate of increase has begun to slow down, and it is believed that it may peak in the short term.

The Director of the Medical and Health Bureau, Lu Chongmao, published a blog this morning, refuting without naming the former Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority Leung Pak-yin that the mortality rate of the new coronavirus and seasonal influenza are similar, and denounced the statement as misleading the public.

Ou Jiarong, the chief doctor of the Infectious Diseases Division of the Center for Health Protection, mentioned once more when attending a press conference on the epidemic this followingnoon that since the beginning of the new crown epidemic, more than 9,500 people have died, with an average case fatality rate of regarding 0.6%. During a severe outbreak, it is “inappropriate” to compare the mortality rate only in May this year.

Ou Jiarong pointed out that there is no scientific evidence to prove that BA.4 or 5 is less than other previous variants, and the mortality rate in the later stage of the fifth wave of the epidemic has dropped significantly. , it is “misleading” to compare the severity of Omicron and influenza for a single period of data.

Au Jiarong emphasized that both influenza and the new crown will have antigenic mutations, which will lead to changes in the severity of the disease, but there is no doubt that the new crown is much more transmissible than the flu, and the disease is also more serious than the flu. For example, children and the elderly have a higher risk of severe complications and are more likely to There are sequelae such as “long new crown”.