Passengers wearing facemasks board a junk boat on Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong on Dec 22, 2022. (ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong saw 16,186 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, a decrease from 20,230 on Monday, as 75 more patients passed away.
The new cases comprised 15,862 local infections and 324 imported cases, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health said in a statement. The city had 23,361 new cases on Sunday and 29,207 the day before.
Between Oct 10, 2022 and Jan 3, 2023, Hong Kong’s imported cases were dominated by the XBB sub-lineage (75.84 percent), while its local infections by BQ1.1 (49.48 percent) and XBB (42.53 percent)
The latest COVID fatalities pushed the city’s death toll during the current fifth wave to 11,805, the CHP said.
Thirteen elderly care homes reported COVID infections involving 21 residents and three staff members. Five care homes for people with disabilities had six residents and one staff member infected, the CHP added.
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It said 156 schools logged COVID-19 infections involving 114 students and 152 staff members.
Between Oct 10, 2022 and Jan 3, 2023, Hong Kong’s imported cases was dominated by the XBB Omicron sub-lineage (75.84 percent), while its local infections by BQ1.1 (49.48 percent) and XBB (42.53 percent).
From Dec 25-31, 2022, around 50.24 percent of COVID cases verified were linked with the BA.4 or BA.5 Omicron sub-variant.
The CHP also said it will stop collecting stool specimens at designated specimen collection points of the DH starting Jan 4.
Meanwhile, the Hospital Authority (HA) announced that public hospitals were treating 5,375 COVID patients. They included 594 new admissions, 3,172 requiring isolation, 765 needing oxygen therapy, and 91 receiving ventilator support.
The HA also said 262 COVID patients were in serious condition and 204 in critical condition, including 50 under intensive care.
The overall occupancy of medical beds in acute hospitals was around 120 percent, added the HA.