Coronavirus: Hong Kong shortlisting hotels for asymptomatic patients as public treatment facilities reach capacity
- Officials believe hotels may be a better option to isolate asymptomatic patients, as it will minimise risk of household-to-household transmission, source says
- Experts and government advisers say measures, regardless of whether patients stay at home or in hotels, should begin immediately to save health system from potential collapse

Home isolation for such patients would be a last resort if all other options were exhausted, sources said.
However, health experts and government advisers warned that such isolation measures, regardless of whether patients stay at home or in hotels, should begin immediately to save the public health care system from a potential collapse.
Hong Kong on Wednesday recorded a daily total of more than 1,000 Covid-19 infections for the first time, with a source revealing health authorities have estimated cases will surge to about 2,000 a day in the next few days, putting a toll on the already stretched health care system.
With caseloads rising exponentially, preliminary-positive patients have been rushing to hospital accident and emergency units, and the Hospital Authority has said some people may have to wait a few days for admission. Concerns are also growing that the system would run out of beds to meet the rising demand.
