The Hospital Authority on Monday said it plans to upgrade virus testing services at all public hospitals in 2024 or 2025, including tests for respiratory diseases.

The authority said it will be able to check for 11 kinds of virus, including Covid and influenza, at the same time.

Chief inspection control officer Dr Raymond Lai said the tests, which are already in use at several hospitals, are especially useful for children and people who are seriously ill.

Respiratory disease expert Leung Chi-chiu welcomed the plan, but said the tests should be made available at all hospitals even sooner.

"If the test isn't available for all these institutions, there could be a risk of delayed diagnosis, affecting not only individual patients, but also potentially an increased risk of hospital-based outbreaks," he said.