By The SUN
Officials say the jump in school-related cases was not surprising because of long holiday
The resumption of face-to-face classes in many schools today resulted in 45 new Covid-19 infections being detected.
Health officials said more than 2,000 schools have resumed classes so far, and in each, students and staff, including teachers, all had to present a negative result for a rapid antigen test before being allowed on campus.
Of the cases reported today, 18 tested positive this morning while the rest were found to have been infected with the coronavirus over the long weekend.
The patients included 37 pupils and eight staff members.
The school-reported cases pushed the day’s daily to 290, which was slightly higher than Monday’s.
Among these cases, 132 were confirmed via PCR tests while the remaining 158 were positive results for rapid antigen tests reported by residents.
Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection said 21 of
the new cases were imported, including 13 detected at
They included two who came on flight CX724 from
The total tally from the Omicron outbreak now stands at 1,192,452, Au added.
Dr Larry Lee of the Hospital Authority reported seven Covid-related deaths, which took the city’s fatality toll in the fifth wave to 9,112. The death rate is now at 0.76 percent.
Six of the deaths were recorded yesterday while the seventh, pertaining to an 86-year-old man, happened on Sunday but was not reported on time.
Lee also said special visiting arrangements will restart at non-acute wards in 26 hospitals starting on Friday.
Each patient will be allowed up to two visitors each week, at no more than one hour per visit. This one hour cannot be split up to accommodate other visitors.
In addition, the visitor must have received at least two doses of a Covid vaccine in the past 14 days, and provide proof of a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours or a rapid test taken in the past 24 hours prior to the visit.
The visiting arrangement will be gradually expanded according to how the pandemic develops.
Lee also said there are 1,250 Covid-19 patients currently in public hospitals and various treatment facilities. Seven of them are in intensive care while one is in serious condition.
In the past 24 hours, 96 patients have recovered, and 42 of them have been discharged.
