Stable Covid patients to be moved from hospitals to Penny's Bay in 'days'

Stable Covid-19 patients will be switched to Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre in days and even subsequently allowed to go home for self-isolation, as treatment facilities and hospitals may soon be filled up by massive outbreaks, Hospital Authority Chief Executive Tony Ko Pat-sing said.

He said some recent patients only had to stay in treatment centers for five to six days because they fulfilled the new discharge requirement of having a low viral count for three consecutive tests.

Speaking in a television interview on Sunday, Ko said hospital beds should be prioritized for serious cases. Among the 1,400 people currently hospitalized for Covid-19, only less than one percent need intubation.

He said the isolation camp in Penny's Bay will switch to another makeshift treatment center for stable Covid patients in days.

He said a medical station will be set up in Penny's Bay to offer patients medication to alleviate symptoms such as fever and coughs, but there will not be any medical equipment.

If patients' conditions take a turn for the worse, they will be sent to hospitals or other treatment centers, he said, but added such occasions are unlikely to occur.

Ko said if Covid caseloads see an "exponential" increase, the authority will allow young and vaccinated patients to observe home isolation. But he said the arrangement will be decided case by case, subject to the patients' household environment, including whether they live in sub-divided flats, or live with unvaccinated elderly relative.

During home isolation, medics shall continue to monitor their conditions through phone calls or mobile apps, while the patients will have to take constant Covid-19 tests by rapid test kits.

Meanwhile, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said the current outbreak is the worst in two years.

With the number of infections staying at high levels, authorities will monitor the situation and tighten social distancing measures when necessary.

Such measures would include reducing the cap for social gatherings from four people, and to subject more premises to health regulations, she wrote in her blog on Sunday.

Over 3.5 million tests were conducted at community testing centers over the past month. The daily testing capacity will be increased from 100,000 to 200,000 before mid February. With a giant lab to be established in Ma On Shan by the end of this month, the capacity can be boosted to 300,000.

A third office for tracing Covid-19 patients close contacts is being planned, she added.