March 8, 2022
HONG KONG – Hong Kong reported 25,150 new COVID-19 cases on Monday as the government launched a new online platform for residents who tested positive in rapid antigen tests to report their infection.
The new cases comprised of 32 imported infections and 25,118 local cases, Albert Au Ka-wing, principal medical and health officer of the Centre for Health Protection’s communicable disease branch, said in a press briefing.
He said the 32 imported infections included 25 cases that came from Jakarta onboard Garuda Indonesia Airlines on March 6.
Hong Kong will temporarily suspend Garuda flights from Jakarta from March 8-21, said Albert Au Ka-wing, principal medical and health officer of the Centre for Health Protection’s communicable disease branch
Because of this, Hong Kong will temporarily suspend Garuda flights from Jakarta from March 8-21, Au said.
When asked if infections had already peaked, Controller of the CHP Edwin Tsui Lok-kin said in the same briefing that they will have to monitor the reports on the online reporting platform.
“I think the actual situation depends on the rolling out of the reporting platform…Some used the RAT instead of the PCR test and were waiting for the platform before making a report,” he said.
The online platform was launched at 6 pm Monday for residents who tested positive using RAT kits.
Tsui said the move was to help the authorities better monitor the health condition of patients and provide support to those who are most at risk.
Those who have reported their test results thru the platform will be prioritized for admission to community isolation facilities, Tsui said.
Government officers will visit their home and arrange for them to undergo a nasal swab test on the day they report having a positive rapid antigen test result, or on the following day.
Tsui said the authorities encourage residents to report their positive test result as quickly as possible. He added that people can only submit their result on the day they have tested positive, or a day later.
He also said that residents who tested positive between Feb 26 and March 5 can provide their information via the platform before March 14.
For those who tested positive before Feb 26, the CHP may not follow up their cases, as their health condition may have improved. However, the authorities still encourage these individuals to submit their information thru the platform so they can better assess their situation, Tsui said.
Hospital Authority chief manager Sara Ho also said in the same briefing that 161 COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, including 105 males and 55 females.
She said 126 of these patients were unvaccinated while 21 had one jab, 13 had two doses, and one patient had three shots.
Ho said 75 patients are in critical condition and 106 in serious condition. She added that there were 119 deaths that were not reported earlier.
Ho also said that two girls who tested positive for COVID-19 died on Monday. One was an 8-year-old patient who had a thyroid condition and she died at 8:28 am.
The other patient was a 4-year-old girl who had a congenital heart condition. She was brought to Queen Mary Hospital due to vomiting at 4 am and doctors initially could not detect her heart beat.
They tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation and her heartbeat returned. She was transferred to the intensive care unit but her heartbeat stopped at 8 am, Ho said.