Hospitals Under Pressure As Covid Tally Hits 2,019

Hong Kong raced past a grim milestone of more than 2,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases on Tuesday as the SAR recorded another 61 coronavirus cases and health officials warned that the city's public hospitals were creaking under the pressure.

A chief manager at the Hospital Authority, Linda Yu, said with almost 70 percent of the isolation beds occupied, the surge in new cases was putting pressure on the city's public hospitals.

She said 29 patients were in critical condition, up from seven the previous day.

Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection called on the public to go for coronavirus tests only if they had come into close contact with a confirmed coronavirus patient.

“If you have no symptoms and are just worried, please do not go get tested because you will burden the medical system such that those who really need it have to wait longer," she said.

Among the new cases added, there were only three imported cases. Out of the 58 local transmissions, 25 were listed as coming from an "unknown source".

Thirty-three were linked to previous cases, including seven more cases linked to two banquets in Tuen Mun and Mong Kok that have seen a number of infections.

More than 60 people have tested positive in preliminary screening, including a woman who is 35 weeks pregnant.

A female caretaker who accompanied at least six elderly people from a number of care homes to visit hospitals also tested positive for Covid-19.

Chuang said that the Social Welfare Department was also following up on the case and will be visiting the relevant care homes to monitor and follow up on any potential Covid-19 cases.

Tuesday's cases bring the total number of cases reported in the city so far to 2,019. The total number of fatalities stands at 14, after two elderly patients died on Tuesday.