Daily Covid Toll Drops Slightly To 6,646

The number of new Covid cases in Hong Kong dropped slightly on Thursday, to 6,646.

Among the new infections, 2,859 were confirmed by PCR tests while 3,787 were reported by people who took rapid tests.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said the figure is still high, although the public might feel numb about the situation.

Asked about the risks of imported infections when a large number of residents return to Hong Kong following the lifting of a flight ban on Friday, Chuang said as there's already widespread transmission of the Omicron variant in the community, any imported cases would not add too much pressure on the city.

But she said officials will monitor the situation in case any new variants emerge.

The Hospital Authority, meanwhile, reported that another 119 people with Covid have died, including 102 who passed away at public hospitals in the past 24 hours.

A total of 7,612 people with Covid have died in the Omicron outbreak. Their median age was 86.