He later tested positive and was transferred to North Lantau Hospital for three weeks, where he described having to follow a “rigid” routine including countless vitals and blood tests that often interrupted rest times.

The city has adopted some of the strictest isolation and hospitalisation rules for coronavirus patients as part of its “zero-Covid” strategy.

To make matters worse, Andrew was forced to undergo another 21-day hotel quarantine upon recovery, after medical professionals accidentally brought an imported patient to his ward who had tested positive for a different variant.

“There was a sensory overload [when I was finally released], I couldn’t be around crowds of people, the lights and noise all felt too much. I would get exhausted so easily,” recalled Andrew. “I’ve been seeing a mental health counsellor, who explained that what I was feeling was post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the trauma from the Covid-19 experience.”

Andrew said the slew of recent infections had triggered fears of having to return to government facilities.

“All the memories came rushing back and there was absolutely no way I was going to let myself go through that again,” he said.

“The implications of testing positive here and what that means for one’s mental and physical health [and] complete disruption to one’s life, that’s the cause of all the stress, anxiety and frustration.”

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Authorities are racing to accommodate more patients in hospitals and building more isolation facilities, as tens of thousands of cases are being reported daily. The city’s tally of confirmed infections since the start of the pandemic stood at 527,260.

Officials have also tightened social-distancing measures, including a ban on dining-in after 6pm and a two people per table rule for restaurants.

The closure of certain premises, including bars, nightclubs and gyms, has been extended to April 20, while gatherings of more than two households in private premises are prohibited.

The city has not announced any plans for a potential mainland Chinese-style shutdown yet, with Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor dismissing the possibility of a “wholesale city lockdown” last week.

Mental health organisations, such as counselling and hotline services, told the Post they had noticed an increase in calls for help.

“Ever since the fifth wave broke out, and in light of a potential lockdown, more than 80 per cent of our clients have expressed heightened worries and anxiety,” said Jimmy Wan, director and counsellor of Breathe Counselling.

He added that some clients suffered from health anxiety and their fears of catching Covid-19 had led them to conduct more self-testing or assume the worst if they noticed changes in their body.

Ben Cheung, CEO of online mental health platform Soulgood, saw a 50 per cent to 60 per cent increase in the number of clients, with some reporting heightened feelings of anxiety, loneliness and depression.

According to Stephen Wong, assistant director of The Mental Health Association of Hong Kong, some 70 per cent of its inquiries were related to the pandemic.

The association is currently running a free hotline for coronavirus-related concerns from March to May to cope with the increasing demand for mental health services, Wong said.

People who have sought help included secondary school students who had little opportunities to socialise as a result of online classes, housewives taking care of children and working people, he added.

Karman Leung, chief executive of The Samaritans Hong Kong, which operates a 24-hour multilingual hotline, said she had also noted an increase in calls from residents who could not reach government hotlines for Covid-19-related concerns, particularly for feelings of distress during home isolation.

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“It is worrying because the longer we stay in this situation, the more overwhelming it will be … We had one call recently of a girl in quarantine and her father had passed away. She was very distressed when she called as she couldn’t be with her family,” Leung said.

Reports of suicide attempts have also emerged. Earlier this month, four suicide attempts within a 27-hour period were recorded at Penny’s Bay.

A government employee plunged to his death from a Mong Kok flat last Wednesday while undergoing home quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus . He had no reported history of mental illness and did not suffer from any chronic illnesses.

Meanwhile, not everyone in the city can afford to seek mental health care due to financial constraints.

A 22-year-old Filipino-Indian student, who provided the name Joy, said therapy was expensive and inaccessible in Hong Kong.

Living in a subdivided flat with her mother, Joy describes losing the motivation to study as a result of not having enough space, while also feeling suffocated by staying home all day without a part-time job to keep her busy.

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“Sometimes reading news here gives me so much anxiety, I can’t do anything but think about [the news]. So to escape everything I just go hiking and avoid [social media] from time to time,” Joy said.

After 42-year-old Eric’s technology start-up ran into financial issues because of a lack of projects and pressure from investors, he stopped seeing a therapist.

“When I was consulting the therapist, I could share my biggest fears, and also the most mundane things with him. Now without him, I have no outlet. Sometimes I feel like I’m talking to myself,” said Eric, who has two children.

Tom Barry, programme director of the bachelor of arts and sciences programme at the University of Hong Kong, said public health communication had made it unclear for residents when restrictions would come to an end.

He added that the uncertainty around planning for the future had exhausted people’s mental health.

“What we need is clear and positive communication about where we are headed and what this will look like if we are to build mental resilience in our community and prepare people to get through the pandemic,” Barry said.

* Name changed at interviewee’s request