Coronavirus: Hong Kong hospitals can cope with Covid surge, official says, as city logs 1,680 new local cases, 114 imported infections
- Number of new cases remains in the four-digit range for the 11th day straight
- Most patients experience mild symptoms and no signs have emerged of a sharp increase in severe cases, Hospital Authority official says
Hong Kong’s public hospitals are able to cope with the recent surge in coronavirus cases, a health official has said, with the city’s daily caseload remaining in the four-digit range for the 11th day straight.
Health officials on Saturday confirmed 1,794 new Covid-19 cases, comprising 1,680 local and 114 imported infections. No new coronavirus-related deaths were reported.
The city’s coronavirus tally stood at 1,235,706 cases with 9,398 related fatalities.
“The cases show that the number of infections is slowly rising, with no obvious downward trend,” said Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection. “We will continue monitoring the situation.”
In a separate development, lawmaker Erik Yim Kong recorded a preliminary-positive result in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on Friday afternoon and was still waiting for confirmation of another PCR test on Saturday, according to the Legislative Council secretariat.
He tested negative using two rapid antigen test (RAT) kits and had no symptoms, while his office staff also tested negative with RAT. The secretariat said Yim stayed in the Legislative Council complex’s chamber on Wednesday.
In terms of confirmed cases, according to Chuang, a total of seven residents and five employees at Fu Tai Elderly Home are confirmed to have contracted Covid-19. Among them, two staff members are possibly linked to a cluster at the Victoria Harbour Restaurant in Tuen Mun, having dined there on June 16.
It was possible that the two employees, who were suspected to be infected with the Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1, brought the virus to the care facility, she said.