3rd June 2023 – (Hong Kong) According to Professor David Hui, a respiratory system expert from the Faculty of Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the recent surge in COVID-19 cases can be considered as the sixth wave of the pandemic in the region. He made the statement during a radio program on 3rd June, where he shared that many individuals in the community have been infected with the virus for the first or second time.
Although the number of cases has peaked last week, Hui believes that it will continue to fluctuate for the next few weeks before it starts to decline. He also revealed that 95.8% of the infected individuals were found to have contracted the XBB strain of the virus. This particular strain has a strong immune evasion capability against first and second-generation vaccines. However, he emphasised that those who have been vaccinated can still benefit from protection against severe illness and reduce the risk of death.
Hui further emphasised that the current situation has shifted into a new phase, where COVID-19 has become an endemic disease that can be treated like any other respiratory illness. Therefore, he suggested that society no longer needs to be in a state of high alert and can manage the pandemic as a routine public health issue.