Hong Kong fourth wave: Covid-19 daily caseload drops to 12, while officials warn against misplaced optimism
- But authorities caution fewer screenings expected over Lunar New Year holiday when people reluctant to visit doctors and most private clinics are closed
- About 640,000 Hongkongers have downloaded government’s Covid-19 risk-exposure app, with more expected to do so in coming days, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung says
But health authorities warned the dip in cases should be viewed with caution, saying fewer screenings were expected over the Lunar New Year holiday when people were hesitant to visit doctors and most private clinics were closed. They stressed silent transmissions remained a threat, pointing to a fresh outbreak at a youth centre in Kowloon that involved one of the two latest untraceable cases. Residents in four buildings were also issued with mandatory testing orders.
The rolling seven-day average of local infections had fallen to 20.1 as of Friday, down sharply from a peak of 75 in late January, while the figure for untraceable cases was 6.1, said Director of Health Dr Constance Chan Hon-yee. But she warned against misplaced optimism.
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“Although the number of new cases recorded is relatively low, it could be related to many clinics being closed and some people being reluctant to visit a doctor during the Lunar New Year holiday,” Chan said. “That is why I appeal to the community that if they have any symptoms, no matter how mild … they must see a doctor as soon as possible.”
Two of the new cases involved arrivals from Britain and the Philippines, while fewer than 10 people tested preliminary-positive. The overall tally of confirmed cases stood at 10,767, while the number of related fatalities stood at 193 after a 60-year-old man succumbed to the disease on Friday night.
The city recorded 12 cases on November 19, and nine cases on November 18.
Authorities are investigating the outbreak at the Children and Youth Integrated Services Centre at Lung Poon Court Commercial Centre in Tsz Wan Shan. The two carriers, one of whom is a welfare worker, attended group activities at the facility, which is run by the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Association, on February 3, according to Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of communicable disease branch at the Centre for Health Protection. A volunteer who took part in the activities tested preliminary-positive.