Covid Situation 'worrying' As Half Of ICUs Full

Health authorities said on Wednesday that the coronavirus situation in Hong Kong is worrying as more than half of the beds in intensive care units at public hospitals are already occupied.

The day saw 103 new Covid-19 cases, with outbreaks at a construction site and a care home for the disabled people taking a turn for the worse.

Eighty-two cases were related to previous infections, including 16 linked to the construction site in Tseung Kwan O, comprising 14 workers and two of their family members.

So far, there are 19 cases in this cluster.

There were 39 new patients linked to the care home for disabled people in Shau Kei Wan, raising the total there to 44.

Meanwhile, a patient who underwent dialysis at Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital has been infected.

In another case, a 65-year-old man came down with Covid-19 after entering Hong Kong from the mainland exempted from quarantine and caring for a relative, a 77-year-old woman who tested positive and died last week at the private hospital in Happy Valley.

A chief manager with the Hospital Authority, Dr Lau Ka-hin, said many patients in this fourth wave of infections are aged over 50, and that it’s “very worrying” if more patients need intensive care.

“As we all know the patients’ condition will deteriorate in the second week after admission to hospital. In this wave, more citizens aged between 50 and 70 are admitted than the last wave. So we’re expecting more patients will need intensive care in the coming week.

“We have a mechanism to increase the number of beds to accommodate more patients who need such kind of care in our hospitals,” he said.

A total of 360 coronavirus patients are currently staying at a temporary medical facility at AsiaWorld-Expo. Lau said that's “way more than last wave of infections”.

He said the authority is opening two more halls at the Lantau venue, adding 500 beds.

Health authorities on Wednesday also reported six infections linked to overseas travel and 70 preliminary positive cases.

Meanwhile, a 73-year-old coronavirus patient died on Wednesday at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The Hospital Authority said the woman tested negative for the virus after treatment in October, but her condition subsequently deteriorated.

Hong Kong has recorded 109 deaths related to Covid-19 so far.