HONG KONG – Hong Kong recorded 56,827 new reports of COVID-19 infections today – the highest daily count so far – as the government said the cumulative death toll in the current Omicron outbreak has surged past 1,000.
The Hospital Authority (HA) said 144 COVID-19 patients died over the past day. Most of them were elderly and unvaccinated.
Forty-two others who died earlier were added to the official tally, bringing the total number of fatalities in the Omicron outbreak to 1,153.
The HA said among those who died in the past 24 hours was a 54-year-old man who was admitted to hospital with a fever and shortness of breath last week.
He required intensive care as the flow of blood to part of his lungs was blocked.
Dr Larry Lee Lap-yip of the HA said the patient had high blood pressure and diabetes, but his health condition was relatively better than other COVID-19 patients who died and his case has been passed to the coroner's court.
The man had received one dose of the novel coronavirus vaccine, Lee added.
Meanwhile, 78 COVID-19 patients were critically ill today, with 116 others in a serious condition.
With public hospitals operating at capacity, Lee said the first private hospital had agreed to take COVID-19 patients with mild or no symptoms.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong Medical Centre will reserve 24 beds for this purpose.
As of today, Hong Kong's COVID-19 tally stood at 293,730, according to worldometers.info.
Macau's COVID-19 tally stood at 82, according to the local Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre. No COVID-19 deaths have been reported. – RTHK, MPD
