Covid-19 patients in Hong Kong spreading infection to more people, expert warns, as new cases surge to 92 amid hospital outbreak fears

New measure requires residents to get tested upon advice of private doctor and submit results, with harsher penalties, including jail for further non-compliance

A 77-year-old patient at Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital died after testing preliminary positive; a nurse and support worker are also infected

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People queue up for Covid-19 testing at a community centre in Hong Kong. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 11:26am, 27 Nov 2020Updated: 2:27am, 28 Nov 2020

Covid-19 has become more transmissible in Hong Kong, with one patient likely to infect more than two people on average, a top health adviser to the government warned on Friday, as the number of daily cases surged to a three-month high of 92.

In an interview with the Post, Professor Gabriel Leung, dean of the University of Hong Kong’s faculty of medicine, urged the government to reintroduce tougher social-distancing measures to reverse the trend and set its own example by allowing civil servants to work from home.

Leung also weighed into a heated ongoing debate by expressing reservations about calls for mandatory testing and partial lockdowns, but backing Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s policy address target of achieving “zero infection”.

In addition to a still-expanding cluster of infections spread through dance venues that have formed the biggest outbreak of the pandemic so far, the city was facing a new threat as health authorities said a major private hospital was likely to have been hit by a “small” outbreak.

Professor Gabriel Leung says the government must lead by example and allow civil servants to work from home. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

An elderly patient who tested preliminary-positive died at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, and two staff members were infected, prompting the authorities to review protective measures at private medical facilities.

The city’s hospital chiefs also raised concerns over an alarming spread of the virus in public health care institutions, a sign seen in the third wave back in July.