Pedestrians cross a street in Central, Hong Kong on July 24, 2022. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG – The COVID-19 daily caseload in Hong Kong crossed the 6,000 mark for the first time since late March on Thursday.
Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection, said at a news briefing that there were 6,054 new cases, including 243 imported infections.
Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection, said at a news briefing that there were 6,054 new cases, including 243 imported infections
The last time it reached over 6,000 was on March 31, when 6,646 new cases were detected.
“The overall trend has never dipped. It has always been a gradual rising trend. Part of the reason maybe is the rising percentage of BA.5 cases and many people are not vaccinated. Many have not caught the virus before and they are not immune,” Chuang said.
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The percentage of new cases linked to the Omicron subvariant BA.5 has risen to 27.2 percent while the BA.2.12.1 accounted for nine percent, she added.
Chuang said that of the 243 imported cases, 121 were detected at the airport. Thirty-one came from India, 27 each from Thailand and the United Kingdom, 21 form the Philippines, 14 from Singapore, 13 from Japan, and 12 from Canada. The rest were from 42 other countries.
Chuang said four residential care homes for the elderly and two for persons with disabilities reported six new cases. Thirty-six schools reported 38 students and 10 teaching staff getting infected.
Gladys Kwan, Chief Manager (Clinical Effectiveness and Technology Management) of the Hospital Authority, said five COVID patients passed away, bringing the city’s toll during the fifth wave to 9,376.
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The patients who died included four men and a woman aged 50 to 92 years old. They also suffered from chronic illnesses like kidney disease, heart illness, and cancer.
The oldest, a 92-year-old woman, was found unconscious and had no signs of life when she was taken to a hospital. Kwan said her case was referred to the Coroner’s Court to determine the exact cause of her death.