Covid-19 here to stay, says top microbiologist

Professor Yuen Kwok-yung said the SAR had done well in protecting itself against the epidemic. File photo: RTHK

Top microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung on Sunday warned that there was no end in sight to the potentially-fatal Covid-19 respiratory disease outbreak, saying people should be prepared not to travel abroad until the end of this year.



Speaking on a TVB television programme, the University of Hong Kong infectious diseases professor said the situation might improve here in summer but that Hong Kong would see fresh imported cases next winter as the virus had spread to the southern hemisphere.



Professor Yuen said the SAR had done well in protecting itself against the epidemic but that things could get worse if there was an increasing number of cases imported from the mainland or overseas.



And he said when the government imposes travel restrictions on foreign countries, it should also pay attention to how many cases that country exports to other places, not just the number of confirmed cases there, which may not reflect the full extent of the spread of the respiratory disease inside the country.