By Daisy CL Mandap
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| A doctor at Queen Elizabeth is shown crying from frustration in a viral video |
There’s been a marked dip in the number of coronavirus cases reported by Hong Kong Thursday, with the total figure for both PCR and rapid testing cases reaching 31,402, compared with over 58,000 the previous day.
But the reported death toll continued to hover around 300, with 180 being
reported to have occurred yesterday, and an additional 101 from as early as Feb
28.
Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection said 24,390 positive
results from PCR tests were recorded in the past day, while 7,012 were added
from confirmed reports of from those who tested positive on rapid antigen tests
(RAT).
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The new infections took Hong Kong’s Covid-19 tally from PCR tests conducted
during the fifth wave to 604,788. There were an extra 41,760 confirmed RAT
cases.
Au said it would appear that the infections had peaked between Mar 2 and
Mar 4, when more than 50,000 cases were detected from PCR tests alone.
The number dropped to around 30,000 in the next two days, and it now
hovers between 25,000 and 30,000.
“Judging from the PCR positive cases, we’re seeing a gradual decreasing
trend and probably we have reached the peak.”
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At the same time, he said the figures from RATs look steady, and even dropped
to below 10,000 from a high of more than 30,000 the previous day.
But he warned against complacency, saying people should remain indoors to
prevent a new surge in cases, pointing out that a daily tally of between 30,000
and 40,000 is still high.
Meanwhile, the Covid-related death toll continued to climb, with 180
patients being reported to have died on Tuesday, with an additional 101 cases recorded
from Feb. 28 and Mar 8.
Of the 9,350 patients being treated in public hospitals, 75 are in critical
condition while 173 are seriously ill.
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Asked about the continuing rise in the fatality toll, Dr Sara Ho of the
Hospital Authority said the “phenomenal surge” in cases, particularly the
50,000 plus that were reported last week, made it difficult for medical staff to
cope.
She gave the same reason when asked about a viral video showing a A&E
doctor in Queen Elizabeth breaking down while in a meeting with colleagues.
“The situation has been very serious in the past few days,” she said,
before giving thanks to all frontline staff who have been battling to keep the surge
in cases under control.
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| Inside North Lantau Infection Control Centre, one of 4 designated hospitals for Covid-19 |
To better manage the situation, Ho said several hospitals have been
designated as all-Covid hospitals, and patient support and care have been
enhanced in an effort to cut down on morbidity, mortality and infectiousness.
Ho said that apart from Queen Elizabeth Hospital which was mentioned
yesterday, another hospital, the 360-bed Fung Yiu King Hospital will from today
start accepting only Covid patients.
In future, Ruttonjee and Haven of Hope Hospitals may also be used
exclusively for treating Covid patients.
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Of the 180 patients who died Wednesday, 123 were males and 57 were
females, aged 47 to 112 years old.
Ho also said: (1) 94 of the deceased lived in care homes; (2) 122 were
not vaccinated while 36 had one jab, 22 had two shots; (3) 167 were aged 65 and
above.
Among the notable cases was a 48-year-old man with no pre-existing
conditions. He tested positive on a RAT on Mar 6 and on Mar 8, was taken to the
accident and emergency department complaining of stomach ache and constipation.
He was tested positive on admission and underwent surgery for viral
sepsis which was not related to Covid-19. He passed away yesterday.
The other cases involved patients aged 47, 49, 54 and 57 who all had
pre-existing ailments like cancer and kidney failure.
The 101 cases that were reported late involved 57 males and 47 females
aged 52 to 103.
As of 9am today, 879 patients were treated and discharged from public hospitals.
The number of hospital staff who got infected rose to 12,554 among whom
4,455 have already returned to work.
Au said a study showed that Kwun Tong had the most number of positive
cases detected in the past seven days, at 12.8%, followed by Yuen Long with
9.6% and Sha Tin with 9% of all cases.
There have been a total of 2,937 deaths in the fifth wave, leading to a rise in the death rate to 0.49%. The fatalities were aged from 11 months to 112 years old, with the median age remaining at 85. Five of the fatalities were below 10 years old.
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