A couple walk through Nan Lian Garden in Hong Kong on June 2, 2022. (ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong recorded 515 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday as more cases were found at the four bars in Central that had outbreaks.
Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection, said in a news briefing that the new cases comprised 473 local infections and 42 imported cases, including 18 infections detected at the airport.
Gladys Kwan, chief manager (Clinical Effectiveness and Technology Management) of the Hospital Authority, said at the same briefing that four patients infected with COVID-19 died in the last 24 hours
She said that 126 cases were confirmed through nucleic acid tests while 379 were detected by rapid antigen testing, bringing the city’s tally to 1,225,220.
There were four new deaths reported while confirmatory tests showed that 44 (or 14 percent) of the RAT cases reported on June 2 were actually negative for the virus, she added.
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Chuang said that while there was a slight increase in the number of new cases in recent days, hospital data, like the number of critical patients and deaths, have remained stable.
“We did observe a slightly increasing number of cases in last few days but, for our hospital figures like admissions, we have not observe any changes yet,” she said.
Chuang said 27 new cases were linked to the cluster at the Shuffle bar in Central, bringing its tally to 69. An environmental sample taken from a toilet doorknob also tested positive.
“We have advised the property owner to conduct a thorough disinfection,” she said.
Chuang said the total number of infections at the Linq bar reached 78 after it had 13 new cases while the tally at Iron Fairies bar rose to 53 after it also had three more infections.
“In Zentral club, the outbreak is coming to an end,” Chuang said, adding that two new cases, involving a customer and a man who helped at the club, were found there.
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She also said that they have referred to the authorities the customers of these four bars who have yet to get tested for the virus.
Gladys Kwan, chief manager (Clinical Effectiveness and Technology Management) of the Hospital Authority, said at the same briefing that four patients infected with COVID-19 died in the last 24 hours.
They included a 98-year-old man who was also suffering from high blood pressure, a bedridden 91-year-old woman who had a heart condition, an 85-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease and heart and lung diseases, and a 68-year-old man with chronic renal and heart problems.
Kwan said there were 11 critical patients, six in serious condition, and five in intensive care units.
She added that three doctors at the North District Hospital also tested positive for the virus.