Hong Kong third wave: Covid-19 infections soar to record high of 67, more than half from unknown source
- Government assessing whether to order civil servants to work from home
- Ticket issued to owner of dim sum place for breaching evening dine-in ban, representing first legal action under sweeping measures
Coronavirus infections in Hong Kong hit an all-time daily high of 67 cases on Thursday, more than half of them untraceable, as the government weighed ordering civil servants to work from home amid pressure from health experts and unions.
There is still a chance more cases are coming
The number of new infections exceeded the previous daily record of 65 cases, which were mostly imported, recorded on March 27. But even worse numbers could lie ahead, warned Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch at the Centre for Health Protection.
“I cannot say this is a peak because usually you can only say it is a peak afterwards,” Chuang said. “There is still a chance more cases are coming.”
01:29
Hong Kong records 67 new confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 35 of unknown origin
Among the 63 new local infections, 35 are from an unknown source, continuing an alarming trend that poses challenges for health officials trying to limit infection risks within the community. Since July 6, 120 out of 299 local infections have been untraceable.
“When they are untraceable, then you can’t find all their close contacts and isolate them, which means community outbreaks will go on happening,” said Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, a respiratory medicine expert at Chinese University.