The chief executive of the Hospital Authority (HA), Tony Ko, said on Sunday that the authority will increase medical resources to protect high-risk groups against Covid-19, ahead of the resumption of quarantine-free travel between Hong Kong and the mainland.

Writing on his blog, Ko said the HA will boost the service quota for the elderly and young children in designated clinics and online consultations, and ensure the supply of oral Covid drugs and paracetamol in Hong Kong.

The hospital chief noted that Covid cases will inevitably increase with the easing of pandemic rules, but expressed confidence that Hong Kong will be able to ride out the storm given the city's high vaccination rate and anti-epidemic experience gained from the past three years.

Ko added that authorities will review the visiting arrangement at public hospitals from time to time, and relax such rules if the Covid situation stabilises.