AsiaWorld-Expo To Reopen Amid Rising Covid Tally

Health officials announced on Friday that they will once again start using the AsiaWorld-Expo to house Covid patients as infections continue to climb.

For the day, 6,445 new coronavirus infections were reported, including 6,260 local infections. Eight more Covid patients, aged between 61 and 93, have died.

1,898 patients are currently being treated in hospital, including ten in intensive care.

The Centre for Health Protection's Dr Albert Au called on people not to let their guard down, saying the daily infection tally is now increasing at a faster pace.

"For the past few days, like since August 15 up to now, we are having a daily increase of... four hundred or five hundred a day. This is worrying. Probably this is all because of the greater infectivity of BA.5 [subvariant]," he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Lau Ka-hin, a chief manager with the Hospital Authority, said the AsiaWorld-Expo Treatment Centre will go into operation again from next week, as around 70 percent of isolation beds at public hospitals are already full.

Lau said 200 beds will be available initially, adding that a mechanism is in place to deploy beds and manpower to the centre quickly.

He warned more non-emergency services at public hospitals will be affected as a result.

______________________________

USEFUL LINKS General Covid-19 situation: https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/

RAT reporting platform:

Vaccination programme:

Vaccination pass scheme:

Hotline for Covid-positive patients: 1836 115