A man stands next to Star ferries and the city skyline in Hong Kong on March 29, 2022. (DALE DE LA REY / AFP)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong reported 2,777 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, which is fewer than the 3,254 infections recorded the day before, bringing the city’s tally during the fifth wave of the pandemic to 1.168 million.
Albert Au Ka-wing, principal medical and health officer of the Centre for Health Protection’s communicable disease branch, said in a press briefing that the new cases included 2,770 local infections and seven imported cases.
Albert Au Ka-wing, principal medical and health officer of the Centre for Health Protection’s communicable disease branch, said in a press briefing that the new cases included 2,770 local infections and seven imported cases
He said 1,489 were confirmed through nucleic acid tests and 1,288 by rapid antigen tests.
The imported cases involved two travelers from the United Arab Emirates and one each from Belgium, Canada, Thailand, Bahrain, and Japan., Au said.
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Controller of the CHP Edwin Tsui urged members of the public to avoid unnecessary gathering in the coming holidays to avoid a rebound.
“Yes, there are now fewer cases. But still, 2,700 is a high level,” Tsui said. “We are very concerned that after the holidays, if we have a lot of people gathering for various activities, there will be rebound.”
Looking at the experience of other countries and regions, Tsui said it was “very rare” that the number of COVID-19 cases “will drop to a very low level in a very short time.”
“Let’s control the pandemic as soon as we could so that people can return to normal life,” he said.
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Lau Ka-hin, chief manager (quality and standards) of the Hospital Authority, said in a same briefing 84 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 died in the last 24 hours, including 53 men and 31 women aged 43 to 112.
The 43-year-old patient who died had been hospitalized for a long time after having a brain hemorrhage in 2017. He required breathing equipment and full-time care, Lau said.
Another patient was 59 years old who had lung cancer which had spread to his bones and, the doctors suspect, to his brain, Lau added.
He said there were 13 COVID-19 patients in critical condition, eight in serious condition, and 74 staying in hospital intensive care units.
Lau added that there were also 27 deaths, involving 14 men and 13 women aged 36 to 95, that were not reported earlier.
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Also on Wednesday, the government announced that the existing social distancing measures will be extended for another 14 days from this Thursday until April 20.
Restaurants will still be prohibited from providing dine-in services from 6 pm to 4:59 am of the next day, while most scheduled premises, including fitness centers and cinemas, will continue to suspend operations.