Speaking on a radio program on Friday morning, Lau said the Hospital Authority has analyzed the past week’s statistics of hospitalized Covid patients through the A&E departments, finding that around 60 percent of them were taken in only due to their infection.

The chief manager said patients could choose to undergo quarantine at home instead in hospital wards if they were asymptomatic or showed no apparent symptoms from their infection.

Those who display obvious symptoms like breathlessness and coughing will require hospitalization, he said.

Meanwhile, Lau said statistics have shown that over 70 percent of Covid deaths were related to their infections, but he noted that some patients also suffered from incurable diseases such as stroke or end-stage cancer.

He said the public should understand that some of the Covid deaths may not be entirely related to their infection.

Separately, Lau defended Authority’s new move in allowing hospital workers who are Covid close contacts to resume duty after they obtained a negative RAT result.

He said the Authority will monitor hospitals’ operations closely under the new move to ensure sufficient manpower to handle a possible double outbreak of seasonal influenza along with Covid.