Coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong shifting from pandemic to endemic says government health adviser

The coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong is shifting from a pandemic phase to an endemic one, a government health adviser has said, as he called for authorities to ease the city’s strict entry regime for overseas arrivals.

Professor Ivan Hung Fan-ngai, a top infectious disease expert and convenor of a government vaccine committee, on Thursday said Hong Kong had met the criteria for Covid-19 to be considered a constant presence in the city with a fairly predictable transmission pattern rather than a virus that could display exponential growth.