“The number of confirmed and preliminary-positive Covid-19 cases has seriously exceeded the capacity that we can tolerate at hospitals,” he said. “Our current isolation facilities are also full.”

To prevent the health care system from collapsing, the authority would reserve isolation beds for children, the elderly and patients in serious condition, Lee said. All patients who were in stable condition at North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre would be moved in phases to the AsiaWorld-Expo facility.

Lee urged younger patients with mild or no symptoms to wait patiently at home.

“If the situation worsens, we will not rule out suspending services in some public hospitals to turn them into Covid-specific treatment facilities,” he said. “Facing the current crisis, we hope everyone will work together for the public good and save critical hospital resources for patients who need it most.”

About 40 Hospital Authority staff were among the latest infections, while another 23 were identified as close contacts. Eight patients also tested positive upon admission to hospital.

Two of the 1,347 cases confirmed on Sunday were imported, while the rest were locally transmitted. Fourteen infections were suspected to involve the potentially more lethal Delta variant, and 1,283 were believed to be Omicron, while the remaining were pending genome sequencing.

Location of Hong Kong’s makeshift hospital to be decided as early as next week

Three elderly patients were in critical condition, one of whom was unvaccinated. A three-year-old girl who tested preliminary-positive and had no underlying medical conditions was also listed as critical

The city’s official tally of confirmed cases stands at 22,980, with 221 related deaths.

While Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu on Saturday ruled out adopting mainland China’s controversial but effective strategy of city lockdowns, an insider familiar with the matter said the local government was considering blanket bans on movement on a district level in order to carry out mass testing.

The approach could involve breaking down each district into several areas and locking down each one, in a rolling approach to screening.

“But there is no timetable as of now,” the source said.

Health authorities also gave a breakdown of about 8,300 coronavirus patients ranging in age from one month to 104 years old. The analysis showed that about 14 per cent were younger than 18, while those aged 65 or more accounted for 11 per cent of the total, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said.

The average age of suspected Omicron cases was 39, while 15 per cent of patients believed to have the variant were under 18 and 10.6 per cent were aged 65 or above.

The average age of suspected Delta cases was 50, while 8.7 per cent of patients suspected to be carrying that variant were younger than 18 and 24 per cent were aged 65 or above.

Chuang also noted that about 20 elderly homes had been evacuated since the fifth wave began, while residents at one home were allowed to quarantine on-site.

Authorities have made vaccination among care home residents and the elderly in general a priority. To further boost inoculation rates, the government will open bookings this Tuesday for children to receive the Sinovac vaccine.

Currently, children aged five or above can be vaccinated with Sinovac and the inoculation process has been running smoothly so far, according to officials.

Appointments for jabs can be booked online, but parents must accompany their children to vaccination centres or general outpatient clinics designated by the Hospital Authority. More than 1,000 private doctors and clinics are also eligible to administer Sinovac shots for children.

Bookings for the German-made BioNTech vaccine for children aged five to 11 will open on Wednesday.

Food supply in Hong Kong disrupted again after 6 more truckers catch Covid-19

Authorities also revealed that the operation of the interchange venue for cross-border drivers at Man Kam To Control Point was suspended for disinfection after some drivers tested preliminary-positive for Covid-19 on Friday. Drivers who stayed there that day were also required to undergo quarantine.

Man Kam To control point is a major gateway for fresh foods – including vegetables, meat and fish – going from mainland China to Hong Kong. A total of 23 cross-border drivers have been confirmed as infected since early this month.

Additional reporting by Jack Tsang