Pedestrians cross a road in Hong Kong's Central area on Nov 13, 2021. (BERTHA WANG / AFP)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong reported two new imported COVID-19 infections on Sunday, bringing the city’s tally to 12,402.
The Centre for Health Protection said in a statement that the new patients were a 75-year-old man from the United Kingdom and a 35-year-old woman from the Philippines. Both of them had mutant strains of the virus.
Since the launch of the government inoculation program in late February, more than 4.7 million people, or 69.8 percent of the eligible population, have taken at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines, while around 4.5 million people, or 66.8 percent, are fully vaccinated
One of patients tested positive during the “test-and-hold" arrangement upon arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport while the other‘s infection was confirmed at Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre, the CHP said.
There were 32 cases reported from Nov 7 to 20 and all of them were imported, it added.
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A total of 36 confirmed patients were being treated as of Sunday in the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre and the Hospital Authority Infectious Disease Centre. All of them were in stable condition.
Hong Kong's vaccination drive is making steady progress. Since the launch of the government inoculation program in late February, more than 4.7 million people, or 69.8 percent of the eligible population, have taken at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines, while around 4.5 million people, or 66.8 percent, are fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, eligible groups to receive a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine will be expanded to cover more people in Hong Kong.
A total of 76,406 people have taken the booster shot in Hong Kong as of 7:00 pm local time Saturday.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government expects the third dose administration will cover about 1.86 million people.
With inputs from Xinhua