By The SUN
 |
| The Omicron variant has been fuelling the massive surge in cases in the fifth wave |
Hong Kong has experienced its worst day so far in the pandemic, with
26,026 new Covid-19 cases and 110 additional deaths reported, mostly elderly
people in care homes.
Speaking at today’s press conference, Dr Albert Au of the Centre for
Health Protection said the spiraling number of infection was worrying, given how
the daily tally has mounted in just a short period of time.
He noted that from an average of around 10,000 in recent days, the daily
figure has doubled, overwhelming the public health system.
But the spike in the daily reportable cases was also driven largely by a
new policy allowing positive cases from private laboratories being directly
added to the tally, instead of having to pass through a government laboratory
first for confirmation.
Dr Au said 18,424 of the cases were reported by private outsourced
laboratories, while the rest came from the Hospital Authority and CHP.
He also admitted on questioning by a reporter that all three mortuaries in the city are 90%
full as more deaths from other causes are also being reported because of the
cold weather.
Dr Lau Ka-hin from the Hospital Authority said that in the past 24 hours,
a total of 83 patients -53 males and 30 females - had passed away, aged 19-100
years old.
An additional 27 patients, aged 68 to 104, died between Feb 23 to 25, and
because of the backlog, their cases were not reported on time.
Of the latest batch of fatalities, 77 or 92% of the patients, were aged
65 years old and above. Most, or 67 of them, lived in the elderly homes.
One of them had three shots of a vaccine, five had two doses, while seven
had a single jab each. This means only 13% of all who passed on had at least
one dose of a vaccine, underscoring the importance of vaccination.
Dr Lau said the youngest fatality who was in a care home had a chronic
illness and had to be intubated before passing away. Another patient was a
46-year-old cancer patient who was undergoing chemotherapy.
There are 60 patients who are critically ill, while 74 are in serious
condition.
Since the start of the fifth wave in late December when the Omicron variant
was first detected in an imported case, 512 deaths have been reported. This makes
up 71% of all 717 fatalities reported so far in the pandemic.
 |
| Elderly people who are unvaccinated are at high risk of suffering from severe infections |
He had more dire news from the frontline, saying more than 2,760 health
care personnel have tested positive for Covid-19, while more than 90% of all
beds in public hospitals, or far more than capacity, are in use.
There are currently 5921 patients in public hospitals, around 700
patients with less severe symptoms are in isolation facilities in Penny’s Bay
and the Tsuen Wan Dorsett Hotel.
Dr Au said of today’s confirmed cases, seven were imported, while the
rest were all locally acquired.
Only one case with the Delta variant was detected, while 1,1192 were
suspected Omicron cases. The rest are still being analyzed or the sample was
not enough for variant testing.
Many of the new cases involve residents and staff in care homes. So far,
he said 2,450 residents and 800 staff in care homes have been afflicted with Covid-19.
Involved are 66 homes, 42 of them with elderly residents, and the remaining 24
catering to the disabled.
·
He reminded anyone who
tests positive in a rapid antigen test (RAT) to immediately isolate themselves.
If they live with other people at home, they should stay in a closed room, and
must wear a tight-fitting mask to prevent cross infection.
People
who are self-isolating, including the other members of their household, could
take a RAT test on the 6th and 7th day, and if they test
negative and are fully vaccinated, they can end their isolation.
·
He said the CHP will
put up a website soon so those who test positive in a RAT test can upload
personal information.
He
said he was confident people who reported a positive RAT result would be
truthful and not submit false information for whatever reason. Anybody found to
have given fake data could be liable to prosecution.
As
the virus is everywhere, he said people should stay at home as much as
possible.
