The government has been urged to allow Covid oral antiviral drugs to be distributed in the private market, in order to boost their uptake.

Henry Yeung, a council member of the Hong Kong Chinese Medical Association, was commenting after authorities said only 40 percent of elderly Covid patients were willing to take oral Covid medication. Private doctors who want to dispense these drugs must register for them.

Dr Yeung said some reasons for the low uptake included fears over side effects and even mistrust of doctors.

"They may as well try to launch these drugs in the private market. Allow the private doctors to secure these drugs, rather than just a central supply of these drugs to the private doctors," he said. "Indeed the patients only trust those doctors who they visit for many years and some of the doctors didn't join the scheme. And these doctors may not be holding the drugs in the clinic."

In July, the government relaxed the eligibility for Covid antivirals. Speaking at a press briefing on July 29, a Hospital Authority chief manager, Dr Gladys Kwan, outlined the new criteria.

"For those who are under 60 years of age, and who are at high risk of medical illness, and for those who are suffering from chronic illnesses, if they have symptoms of Covid-19 within five days and seek medical attention, and if they don't have any contraindications to the antiviral drugs, all of these patients will be included and can be prescribed with antivirals," she said.

Covid antivirals have generally been available in Hong Kong from March, when they were mainly given to elderly and vulnerable patients.