Health secretary Lo Chung-mau on Saturday said misinformation on Covid vaccines was to blame for the low inoculation rate of the high-risk population, while warning that the public healthcare system was feeling the pressure amid the winter season.

His comments came a day after Hong Kong reported over 20,000 new Covid cases.

Speaking on an RTHK programme, he noted the rise in coronavirus infections and other respiratory diseases had added to the pressure on public hospitals.

Lo also described the low vaccination rate among the elderly and children as "a big regret".

Asked if the government was still relying on the vaccine pass scheme, the health chief said it was only one of the ways to boost vaccination rates.

"Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation in the media and in the community about the adverse effects of vaccines, a lot of anti-science," Lo told reporters after the programme.

He said this anti-vaccine propaganda meant the elderly were hesitant about getting this vaccine.

"We hope we can all work together to remove all these misinformation and hurdles, and try to encourage our high-risk population, especially our young kids and the elderly, to boost up the vaccination rate as soon as possible."

Separately, the government has announced a blueprint for a major overhaul in the public healthcare system to shift the focus from treatment to the prevention of illness.

Among the initiatives was the introduction of the "chronic disease co-care scheme", which aims to promote early detection and diagnosis of certain chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes.

Officials are also planning to pay half the medical bills for members of the public seeking treatment in private hospitals under the programme, which Lo said authorities would discuss with the sector and patients' organisations to come up with a "reasonable amount".