Coronavirus: Hong Kong confirms 1,161 cases and first Covid-19 deaths in roughly six months
- Health authorities also reveal that recovered Covid-19 patients no longer need to wait 10 days to be discharged from hospital
- More than 20,000 residents of Discovery Bay were issued a compulsory testing order after sewage samples from the area tested positive for the coronavirus
With isolation wards approaching capacity, health authorities announced that recovered Covid-19 patients no longer needed to wait 10 days to be discharged from hospital and would then undergo two weeks of medical surveillance at home.
Officials were also rushing to identify additional isolation facilities for patients to speed up admissions and planned to use one more block at the government’s Penny’s Bay quarantine camp for confirmed cases.
“We appeal to those who test preliminary-positive to stay at home patiently, as they might have to wait for a few days before being admitted to a hospital,” said Dr Larry Lee Lap-yip, a chief manager at the Hospital Authority. “Those on the top of the waiting list will be taken care of with a hotline for medical assistance.”
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Hong Kong imposes toughest social-distancing rules yet as Covid-19 caseload hits another record high
Eight of Wednesday’s 1,161 cases were imported, with the rest locally transmitted, while an additional 800 preliminary-positive infections were also reported.