People enjoy the evening breeze at West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade on July 27, 2022, with the Victoria Harbour as their backdrop. (PHOTO/CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s daily COVID-19 caseload topped 8,000 again on Saturday as health authorities said two infected boys were in serious condition and required intensive treatment.
Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection, said at a news briefing that there were 8,457 new cases, comprising 8,225 local infections cases and 232 imported ones.
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The financial hub’s daily caseload breached the 8,000 mark for the first time since late March on Thursday, logging 8,579 cases. The city reported 7,835 cases on Friday.
Of the 232 imported cases, 108 were detected at the airport, 47 in quarantine hotels, and 77 at community testing centers.
Larry Lee Lap-yip, chief manager (Integrated Clinical Services) of the Hospital Authority, said 2,387 COVID patients were being treated in public hospitals as of Saturday, including 357 new patients. Thirty-nine were in critical condition, including 12 receiving intensive care, and 33 in serious condition
Chuang also said five residential care homes each had one new case.
Larry Lee Lap-yip, chief manager (Integrated Clinical Services) of the Hospital Authority, said in the same briefing that four COVID patients aged 69 to 91 had died, bringing the death toll in the fifth wave to 9,441. They are two men and two women and two of them were not fully vaccinated.
Lee also said 2,387 COVID patients were being treated in public hospitals as of Saturday, including 357 new patients. Thirty-nine were in critical condition, including 12 receiving intensive care, and 33 in serious condition.
He said two boys, aged 17 months and 10 years old respectively, are in the pediatric intensive care unit after infecting with COVID.
The 17-month-old boy developed a fever and convulsions on Friday and was sent to Yan Chai Hospital for treatment. The seizure subsided after the boy received medication. He also received one dose of COVID-19 vaccination earlier on the same day, according to Lee.
“The authorities have sought advice from two experts in infectious disease, including Chair Professor of Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine of The University of Hong Kong Lau Yu-lung. They both attributed the boy’s symptoms to the COVID infections and believed they are unrelated to the vaccination,” Lee said.
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The experts appealed to members of the public, especially young kids, to receive vaccination early for the antibodies to develop, Lee added.
The 10-year-old developed a high fever and tested positive on Aug 22. He experienced breathing difficulty and was sent to Caritas Medical Centre in Sham Shui Po for treatment before being transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital for further treatment, Lee said.