August 8, 2022
HONG KONG – Hong Kong reported 4,274 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday and five elderly deaths, bringing the city’s toll during the fifth wave to 9,327.
The new cases comprised 4,035 local infections and 239 imported cases, Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection, said at a news briefing.
Thirty-five of the imported cases came from India, 24 from the Philippines, 22 from the United Kingdom, 17 from the United States, 14 from Singapore, and 13 from Thailand. The rest were from 48 other countries
Chuang said the infections with Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 comprised 10.4 percent of the new cases.
“We can’t exclude the possibility that BA.5 will further increase and become a dominant circulating strain in Hong Kong,” said Chuang.
She said 109 of the imported cases were detected at the airport, 100 at quarantine hotels, and 30 after their quarantine.
Thirty-five came from India, 24 from the Philippines, 22 from the United Kingdom, 17 from the United States, 14 from Singapore, and 13 from Thailand. The rest were from 48 other countries, she added.
Chuang said three residential care homes for the elderly and persons with disabilities reported new cases while a kindergarten in Tseung Kwan O suspended one class after two pupils and a teacher tested positive for the coronavirus.
Lau Ka-hin, chief manager (quality and standards) of the Hospital Authority, said in the same briefing that the five patients who passed away included two men and three women, aged 65 to 94 years old, who also had underlying illnesses like hypertension and diabetes. Only one of them was fully vaccinated.
Lau said the oldest was a man whose son had tested positive through a rapid antigen test but did not report it to the authorities.
“So, we would like to say that if you take an RAT or PCR test and test positive, please report it to the Department of Health. If there are elderly people, people with chronic diseases, living with you, it would be better for you to be isolated somewhere else,” he said.
Lau added that 1,485 patients were being treated in public hospitals as of Sunday, including 162 new patients. Twenty-five were in critical condition, including seven receiving intensive care, while 20 were in serious condition.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Government Logistics Department said that the Director of Government Logistics Carlson Chan had tested positive for COVID-19 through a RAT test and is now undergoing isolation according to CHP guidelines.
Chan, who last went to work on Aug 4, followed social distancing rules and took an RAT test daily. He has no recent travel history.