New COVID-19 cases hit a record of 1,325 as Hong Kong reports 2 more deaths

Daily COVID-19 cases rose to a record 1,325 in Hong Kong on Friday as the city reported two more coronavirus-related deaths.

Of the new infections, 1,323 are locally transmitted.

Most of them are of the Omicron variant.

Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection, noted that 5,535 cases were recorded from Dec. 31, 2021 to Thursday.

She added that most of January cases were found in Kwai Tsing and Wong Tai Sin, while the majority of infections this month were in Sham Shui Po, Sha Tin and Tuen Mun.

The center also recorded more than 1,500 preliminary positive cases.

“The number of cases in Hong Kong are still increasing. We have more than 1,500 preliminary positive cases, so that means that there are still a lot of cases in the community and also a lot of transmission in the community,” said Chuang.

“It has stretched our healthcare facilities in every aspect.”

Larry Lee, Chief Manager (Integrated Clinical Services) of the Hospital Authority, said that occupancy rates of the first-tier and second-tier isolation beds are now above 85 per cent.

He added that authorities are preparing more facilities in the AsiaWorld-Expo and Penny’s Bay to ramp up the number of isolation beds.

Two more people have died from the coronavirus, bringing the tally of deaths in public hospitals to 210.

They are a 86-year-old man, who had taken the Sinovac jab, and a 88-year-woman, who tested preliminary positive on Thursday.

Authorities said they did not have data on whether the woman was vaccinated.

Two patients, two men aged 84 and 97, are in critical condition. Neither had vaccination records.

Another 11 are in serious condition, including five men and six women. More than half of them are unvaccinated.