Prof David Hui: COVID & flu milder but viral activity to last 3 months

Professor David Hui of Respiratory Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong says the severity of the current wave of COVID-19 and influenza remains relatively mild.

But he reminds the viral activity could persist for three months.

Hong Kong entered the summer flu season earlier this month alongside a resurgence in the coronavirus infections.

Speaking with TVB News, Professor David Hui of Respiratory Medicine at CUHK says the viral activity has not yet peaked, noting that the dominant influenza strain now is H1 influenza which accounts for nearly 40% of the infections.

Hui says the K variant of H3N2 is currently driving most infections but if H1N1 suddenly becomes the dominant strain, the outbreak may be prolonged.

Because the community has limited exposure to H1N1 these days, Hui warns it has the potential to cause more severe illness across all age groups.

He adds that last year's COVID-19 wave lasted three months from April to the end of June and this year's outbreak will likely follow the same pattern.

For now, the number of schools and care homes experiencing flu outbreaks, as well as the overall mortality rate, remain lower than during last summer's flu season which Hui says is likely related to increased vaccination rates among children and seniors.

The COVID mortality rate has been steadily declining over the past three years, dropping from 15 deaths per 100,000 people in 2023 to 1.9 last year.