Speaking on a radio program Friday morning, the health expert said the city’s overall immunity against the BA.2 subvariant has been decreasing over time. 

However, he said new cases involving the BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5 subvariants are on the drop, and the infection tally could peak in the coming two weeks. 

Leung also said the reinfection rate at elderly care homes has climbed to some 30 percent, which must be tackled by encouraging the elderly to receive a fourth Covid booster jab, whereas the elderly can choose to be boosted with the new BioNTech bivalent vaccine. 

When asked if the city should tighten its social distancing rules, Leung said it depends on whether the city’s public health care system could handle the extra cases during Winter. 

Apart from Covid cases, more patients could be admitted to hospitals due to various diseases during the Winter period, pressurizing the city’s health care system, he added. 

He said the city should focus on containing the local epidemic and reduce the chances of elderly and high-risk individuals from having severe Covid.