HONG KONG -- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region  Carrie Lam on Thursday met with members of a mainland team of traditional Chinese medicine experts, who are in Hong Kong supporting the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.

Lam thanked the central government and the experts for their assistance, including the formulation of practical anti-epidemic plans for Hong Kong's TCM sector, and said the HKSAR government will continue to promote the application of TCM in Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong's battle against the ongoing fifth wave of infections, TCM has played an active role in prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation, and the confidence in the use of TCM has been greatly enhanced, Lam said, adding that she looks forward to an increase in Hong Kong residents who benefit from traditional Chinese medicine.

She expressed hope that the HKSAR government and the TCM sector will jointly build on the positive momentum and open a new chapter for the promising development of TCM in Hong Kong.

On Thursday, Hong Kong registered 1,368 new COVID-19 cases by nucleic acid tests, and 1,276 additional cases through self-reported rapid antigen tests, official data showed.