QEH to receive COVID-19 patients

March 9, 2022

Hospital Authority Chief Executive, Dr Tony Ko:

From today onwards, we (have) proceeded to convert Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) into a designated hospital to look after COVID-19 patients. (With) the aim of doing so, we hope (that) by concentrating the COVID-19 patients together, concentrating the expertise, the resources and the management of such patients, we will be able to provide better clinical outcomes for the COVID-19 patients. So in the coming few days, we are going to transfer the non-COVID-19 patients that are currently in Queen Elizabeth Hospital to the different hospitals within the Kowloon Central Cluster as well as to other hospital clusters and to private hospitals as well. We estimate that around 380 patients will be transferred in the coming few days. At the same time, to facilitate QEH of the capability of picking up more COVID-19 patients, we will, starting from today, divert some of the (patients sent) by ambulance that are non-critical to other accident and emergency departments. We hope that we will be able to complete this whole operation by around March 13 - that is this Saturday - so that Queen Elizabeth Hospital will be able to function as the designated hospital to receive COVID-19 patients. 
We are, at the same time, closely monitoring the development of the epidemic - the number of patients (and) the severity. In the pipeline, we are also planning (to have) other hospitals serve similar functions, some of which include hospitals in different clusters like Ruttenjee Hospital, Haven of Hope Hospital, TWGHs Fung Yiu King Hospital and Kowloon Hospital. Of course, we will closely monitor the situation and dynamically mobilise the resources to cope with the increasing service demand.

(To watch the full press conference with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Hospital Authority today announced that Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) will be converted into a designated hospital to look after COVID-19 patients.

Hospital Authority Chief Executive Dr Tony Ko explained the arrangements at the hospital this morning, saying the aim is to focus treatment on COVID-19 patients.

“With the aim of doing so, we hope that by concentrating the COVID-19 patients together, concentrating the expertise, the resources and the management of such patients, we will be able to provide better clinical outcomes for the COVID-19 patients.

“So in the coming few days, we are going to transfer the non-COVID-19 patients that are currently in Queen Elizabeth Hospital to the different hospitals within the Kowloon Central Cluster as well as to other hospital clusters and to private hospitals as well.”

The authority estimated that around 380 patients currently in Queen Elizabeth Hospital will be transferred in the coming few days.

Dr Ko said: “At the same time, to facilitate QEH of the capability of picking up more COVID-19 patients, we will, starting from today, divert some of the patients sent by ambulance that are non-critical to other accident and emergency departments.”

The authority expected it will complete the whole operation by March 13 so that Queen Elizabeth Hospital will be the designated hospital to receive COVID-19 patients.

Dr Ko said: “We are, at the same time, closely monitoring the development of the epidemic - the number of patients and the severity.

“In the pipeline, we are also planning to have other hospitals serve similar functions, some of which include hospitals in different clusters like Ruttonjee Hospital, Haven of Hope Hospital, TWGHs Fung Yiu King Hospital and Kowloon Hospital.”

He added the authority will closely monitor the situation and mobilise its resources to cope with the increasing service demand.

Separately, the authority announced that priority for support and treatment will be given to high-risk patients such as the elderly, children, pregnant women and immunocompromised patients.

This includes bookings at the authority's designated clinics for medical consultation, nursing teams conducting health assessments and the enquiry hotline 183 6115 for medical support.