Hong Kong's Covid Tally Drops Further To 613

Health authorities on Monday reported 613 new Covid-19 infections, a further drop from the day before.

It is also the fourth straight day that the city has logged fewer than 1,000 new cases.

Of the new infections, 316 were detected by PCR tests, and 297 were reported by those who took self-tests.

13 of the cases were imported, including one picked up at a community testing centre 12 days after the patient’s arrival.

The Centre for Health Protection’s Albert Au said he believes the infection – involving a 10-year-old girl – is a re-positive case as she had a low viral load, and her family members had tested negative for the virus.

Asked whether there is a need to extend the seven-day quarantine period for incoming travellers to 14 days, Au said he believes the current arrangement is safe as most imported infections are picked up shortly after their arrival.

Separately, officials said they are banning flights from Istanbul to Hong Kong operated by Turkish Airlines for one week until April 25, after four passengers on a flight tested positive for Covid on arrival.

They said Malaysia Airlines would also be barred from operating flights from Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong for a week, as four passengers on a flight did not comply with infection control rules.

Meanwhile, health authorities reported 20 more deaths of people with Covid, including 17 patients who passed away in public hospitals in the past 24 hours.

In all, the fifth wave has seen more than 1.18 million infections and 8,946 deaths.

Officials said while the daily infection figures have been falling slowly, there is a chance that the virus situation may rebound slightly after the Easter holidays.