Chief Executive Chui Sai On has been on sick leave since Tuesday after contracting influenza, the Government Spokesperson’s Office (GPV) said in a statement .
According to an announcement published in the Official Gazette (BO) on Wednesday, Secretary for Administration and Justice Sonia Chan Hoi Fan is the acting chief executive until tomorrow while Chui is off sick. Her appointment as acting CE took effect on Tuesday.
The GPV statement came in response to enquiries from the media about why Chui has been on leave.
The statement said that as Chui has come down with the flu, he needed to be isolated and recover from his illness at home as instructed by doctors, adding that he is on sick leave from Tuesday until tomorrow.
The Health Bureau (SSM) said in a separate statement Thursday that Chui was diagnosed on Tuesday with having contracted influenza A. After receiving treatment from his doctors, Chui has been recovering at home and his condition has been improving, the statement said.
The SSM statement also said that Chui was unable to have any flu shots as he is allergic to certain components contained in influenza vaccinations.
Meanwhile, the Health Bureau said in another statement yesterday that influenza activity in the city has recently increased.
The statement noted that recently there have been a relatively high number of people with flu-like symptoms seeking treatment, adding that about 30 percent of them were actually infected with the flu virus.
According to the statement, 30 out of 1,000 adults seeking treatment in the emergency department at the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre recently suffered from flu-like symptoms, while the proportion of children was 60 out of 1,000, adding that the proportions for both adults and children were higher than the “baseline”.
