Virus tally surpasses 1,900 after 73 new cases, 23 critical

There have been 73 additional coronavirus cases in Hong Kong as at midnight today, bringing the tally to 1,959, which includes one probable case.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said 66 cases are locally infected and seven cases are imported.

Among the local cases, 39 are linked to previous cases. Source of infection for 27 cases are still unknown and they include people who live in Tsz Wan Shan or have been to restaurants in the area, a dishwasher who works at Fairwood in Choi Wan Estate, some who have been to bars in Tsim Sha Tsui and a worker of a mahjong parlor in Sham Shui Po.

Also, one of the new cases today is a doctor of a private clinic in Causeway Bay and the doctor had seen a previous confirmed case and two patients at an elderly home in Tin Hau.

The seven imported cases include four marine workers, two pilots and a patient arriving from Kazakhstan.

The Hospital Authority said among the 562 confirmed patients staying in 14 hospitals, 23 are now critical, 13 are serious and the rest are stable.

Chief Manager of Clinical Effectiveness & Technology Management, Dr Linda Yu, said a total of 1,301 patients have recovered so far after eight more were discharged in the past 24 hours.

The occupancy rate of negative pressure beds and wards are 70.9 percent and 76.8 percent, respectively.