Who’s in hospital for Covid? Data shows most Hong Kong inpatients are elderly from community instead of care homes, prompting strategy rethink; 3,805 cases logged
- New trend deviates from start of fifth wave when Omicron variant swept across care homes
- Officials racing for measures to prevent healthcare system from being overwhelmed
Hong Kong’s rising rate of Covid-19 patients in hospitals is fuelled by infections of elderly residents who are not in care homes, the Post has learned, with experts calling for a rethink on how to prevent the city’s healthcare facilities from being overwhelmed.
The trend deviated from earlier in the fifth wave, in which Omicron infections swept across more than 90 per cent of care homes citywide.
The latest data obtained by the Post showed that out of 1,190 current Covid-19 inpatients, 75 per cent were aged above 65, with only 10 per cent from care homes.
Of those 60 or older, only 17 were critically ill, with another 38 in a serious condition. This meant most Covid-19 patients in local hospitals were elderly residents from the community who had mild symptoms.
The revelation came as health authorities announced the quarantine policy would be adjusted to allow residents infected with new Omicron subvariants to isolate at home if their living conditions allowed, even as the daily caseload on Wednesday climbed to its highest level since a surge in infections began in early June.
Hong Kong on Wednesday logged 3,805 new infections, including 180 imported cases, and one related death. The city’s overall Covid-19 tally stands at 1,304,579 cases, with 9,445 fatalities tied to the virus.