Children wearing face masks to help protect from the coronavirus play in a waterfront park in Hong Kong, March 30, 2022. (KIN CHEUNG / AP)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong reported 1,433 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, as health officials said some 3,000 positive cases have been confirmed by rapid antigen tests during the three-day voluntary self-test program.
Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection, said in a news briefing that the new cases comprised 13 imported infections and 1,420 local ones.
A total of 3,128 positive COVID-19 results have been reported through the self-declaration system from April 8-10 when the three-day voluntary mass RAT self-test program was underway, with 64 percent of these cases being asymptomatic
She said 735 infections were confirmed through nucleic acid tests and 698 by rapid antigen tests.
Among the imported cases, 10 were travelers from Thailand, US, UAE, UK and Spain arriving in Hong Kong on Monday while the remaining three were travelers who arrived earlier.
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Chuang said that a total of 3,128 positive COVID-19 results have been reported through the self-declaration system from April 8-10 when the three-day voluntary mass RAT self-testing was underway, with 64 percent of these cases being asymptomatic.
“The voluntary program has been successful in identifying positive cases that were asymptomatic,” she said.
Larry Lee Lap-yip, chief manager (Integrated Clinical Services) of the Hospital Authority, said at the same briefing that 52 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 died in the last 24 hours, including 29 men and 23 women.
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He said 29 of them came from residential care homes while 29 did not have a vaccination record.
Lee said there were also seven patients — four men and one woman — who passed away on Sunday but their deaths were not reported earlier.