Covid-19 Pandemic Claims Two More Elderly Victims

The death toll from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continued to climb in Hong Kong, claiming the lives of two more patients on Thursday.

This brings the number of deaths linked to Covid-19 in the city to 65.

Health officials also said 69 new cases of Covid-19 were added on Thursday, with four of them being imported.

They said 33 cases were without a known source of infection and these include a police officer, two nurses at public hospitals and some housewives.

One of the latest deaths was an 88-year-old female patient who had been a resident at Cornwall Elderly’s Home in Tuen Mun, where 40 residents and staff have come down with the disease.

The patient, who had chronic illnesses, was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital on July 25 with a fever.

United Christian Hospital, meanwhile, announced that a 74-year-old woman who tested positive for coronavirus has died. She was admitted with persistent cough and breathing difficulties on July 17.

The number of fatalities linked to the disease has jumped from seven in the first week of July after a new wave of Covid-19 cases started in the city.

Meanwhile, the government said it will extend its work-from-home arrangement for civil servants by another week, till August 23.

The measure was introduced last month after the coronavirus clusters emerged in different parts of the city.

The authorities said the policy was being extended to reduce social contacts in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Officials will monitor the pandemic situation to see whether some departments can resume services soon, it said.