Latest news with #highRiskGroups
South China Morning Post
29-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Covid levels ease from recent peak, but set to persist in coming months
Covid-19 activity in Hong Kong is starting to show signs of decline from a recent peak, but levels are expected to remain high for the next month or two. The Centre for Health Protection on Thursday also urged high-risk groups to receive booster vaccinations to reduce the chances of serious complications or even death. According to the centre, the latest data as of May 24 shows that both the viral load of Covid from sewage surveillance and the test positivity rate of respiratory samples have begun to decline in the past week. The rate of positive tests fell from 13.8 per cent in the week beginning on May 11 to 11.12 per cent in the following week. As for sewage surveillance, the per capita Covid viral load decreased from 770,000 to 500,000 copies per litre over the same period. 'Besides, the consultation rate of Covid-19 cases at general outpatient clinics and sentinel private medical practitioner clinics also dropped,' a spokesman for the centre added. Dr Edwin Tsui Lok-kin, controller of the centre, explained that the virus had transitioned into an endemic disease with cyclical patterns.
Washington Post
20-05-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
FDA to limit covid shot approval to elderly, those with medical conditions
The Food and Drug Administration unveiled plans Tuesday to narrow its approval for updated coronavirus vaccines to older adults and people with at least one health condition that puts them at high risk for severe disease, marking a significant shift in the agency's approach to green-lighting the shots. The new guidelines indicate updated vaccines will probably be available in the fall for Americans over the age of 65, as well as those older than 6 months who have at least one condition putting them at higher risk of severe illness, as well as people with conditions such as asthma, diabetes, cancer and obesity, in addition to pregnant women. Top FDA leaders estimate over 100 million Americans would be eligible for the shots under the new framework. In past years, the shots have been broadly recommended, including to children and otherwise generally healthy Americans.
