HONG KONG -- A team of mainland health experts led by Liang Wannian, head of the COVID-19 response expert panel under China's National Health Commission, on Wednesday visited the Center for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The team met and exchanged views with representatives of the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority.

During the meeting, they had an in-depth discussion on the COVID-19 situation in Hong Kong and analyzed relevant statistics. The challenges posed by Hong Kong's fifth coronavirus wave as well as the mainland experience in tackling the virus were also elaborated.

Director of Health of the HKSAR government Ronald Lam expressed gratitude to the central government for its extensive and swift support to the HKSAR, and thanked the expert team for their visit and valuable advice offered on Hong Kong's anti-epidemic work.

The CHP will continue its exchange with the expert delegation in exploring and intensifying the strategies and measures to control the fifth wave of the epidemic.

Three teams of medical experts from the mainland have arrived in Hong Kong to work with the HKSAR government in fighting the latest COVID-19 outbreak.

Hong Kong reported 55,353 new COVID-19 cases and 117 deaths on Wednesday, official data showed.