HONG KONG, Feb. 6 -- Hong Kong is facing a shortage of beds at many hospitals as demand continues to surge because of a spike in flu cases.

More and more public hospitals are currently operating at over 100 percent capacity, said Cheung Wai-lun, director of Cluster Services at the Hospital Authority.

Half of the patients have to wait at least eight hours at emergency wards before admission, Cheung said, adding that however, the doctors at the emergency section are making sure that the patients are being well taken care of.

Hong Kong is currently in a flu season as there have been 126 flu-related deaths so far this year, according to official statistics.

On Thursday, Yuen Kwok-yung, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Hong Kong, warned that the flu death toll may further rise, but he insisted the situation was under control.

Yuen urged vulnerable groups, including the elderly, children and pregnant women, to wear masks when going out.