Hong Kong health authorities report few patients receiving oral Covid-19 pills from private family doctors amid recent fall in cases
- Number of overall patients prescribed molnupiravir and Paxlovid by private health clinics in single-digits, health official says
- Private practitioner says small prescription figure result of epidemic passing its peak, with more patients seeking help for long-term symptoms of Covid-19
The data was publicly revealed on Saturday, a day after Dr Owen Tsang Tak-yin, chairman of the Hospital Authority’s infectious disease task force, said private medical clinics had reported only prescribing molnupiravir and Paxlovid to a small number of patients.
Tsang did not provide the exact figure but said it was in the single-digit range.
However, private practitioners have attributed the low number of prescriptions to the recent decline in coronavirus cases.
“No new Covid-19 cases came for consultation. As we have passed the peak of the epidemic, the chance of seeing Covid-19 patients is also smaller,” said Dr Lam Wing-wo, a private practitioner who runs his own clinic.
Lam, who obtained 15 courses of oral Covid-19 drugs from the government last week, said he had not yet prescribed any of the medications to his patients.