Hong Kong reports a single-digit of confirmed cases

Hong Kong has reported 9 new Covid-19 cases today, of which 7 are locally-transmitted cases.

Two imported cases include a student return from Switzerland who came back to Hong Kong on August 23. Another is a domestic worker from Philippine. 

Chuang Shuk-kwan, Head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Centre for Health Protection, said there are 10 more preliminary infections. 

Chuang said although overall there’s a downward trend in the number of new confirmed cases, the epidemic has not been entirely under control.

Chuang added as half of the locally-transmitted cases today are of unknown sources, 4 cases, there are still ‘invisible patients’ within the community. She said the universal Covid-19 tests could help detect unknown sources and break the chain of transmission. 

The Hospital Authority said an 85-year-old female patient who was tested preliminarily positive with Covid-19 is in critical condition and is now staying in the Tuen Mun Hospital intensive care unit. 

She was sent to the Accident and Emergency Department of Tin Shui Wai Hospital yesterday and required immediate intubation. 

The Hospital Authority added no patients of Covid-19 died today. 30 Covid-19 confirmed patients were discharged from hospital in the last 24 hours. So far, a total of 4,052 patients with the confirmed or probable infection have been discharged.

A total of 526 confirmed patients are currently hospitalized, among which 27 patients are in critical condition, 37 are in serious condition, and the remaining 462 patients are in stable condition.

At present, there are 682 negative pressure rooms in public hospitals, 65 percent are in use. 1,239 negative pressure beds activated, 52 percent are in use.