Over 5,000 Covid cases logged, plus 10 deaths

By The SUN

 

Long queue for those put under compulsory testing in Shatin today indicates the rise in infections

Health authorities reported 5,162 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, 272 of them imported.

There were also 10 deaths, involving patients aged 60 to 97, of whom seven did not complete vaccination.

A 27-month-old boy who was under intensive care at Princess Margaret Hospital after testing positive could now breathe on his own without a respirator, and his condition is listed as stable.

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However, a five-year-old girl who has been in intensive care at Tuen Mun Hospital after catching Covid-19 remains in critical condition. Her 11-year-old sister who was also found infected, is in stable condition.

According to Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection the rise in the number of cases was caused by the BA.5 variant, which together with the BA.4 strain, now account for 24.5 percent of the total caseload.

In comparison, the previously dominant strain, BA.2.12.1, has 8.9 percent share of the daily tally. The rest of the infections are still linked to the BA.2 variant of the Omicron.

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Au said according to the World Health Organization, about 60 to 70 percent of all Omicron cases across the globe were BA.5 variant infections.

Meanwhile, the Hospital Authority reported an outbreak at the oncology ward of Tuen Mun Hospital, where nine patients and four staff have so far tested positive. The source is believed to be a patients’ assistant who was found infected on Aug. 11.

All the patients in the cluster are now in isolation. One 53-year-old patient is critical condition while two others, one 76 and the other, 84, are in serious condition.

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A separate outbreak was also recorded at the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan, where five patients aged 67 to 95, were found infected; as well as one staff member.

The apparent index case involved a male patient who tested positive on Aug 13.

Both the affected wards have been closed for cleansing and no new patients are being admitted there for now.

The CHP said it received reports of 92 positive cases from schools, involving 71 students and 21 teachers and staff.

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Saint Paul's Catholic Day Nursery has been asked to suspend a class after two students caught Covid.

Seven residential care homes for the elderly and four for the disabled also reported nine new infections. 

As of the latest tally, 1,813 Covid patients are now receiving treatment in public hospitals. They include 27 who are in critical condition and 26 in serious condition.

HA chief manager Lau Ka-hin said more than 200 patients are now being admitted to hospitals per day, and there is fear that if the trend continues, additional hospital beds and manpower may be necessary, while more non-emergency services may be affected.

But he added the HA could free up between 2,500 to 5,000 more beds if the situation deteriorates.

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