Hong Kong reported 1,161 COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, the first time cases hit four digits since the start of the pandemic.
This came as the city recorded its first COVID-19 deaths — two elderly patients — in 5 months.
They are a 73-year old patient who passed away on Tuesday and a 76-year-old who died on Wednesday.
Both were suffering from chronic illness.
The 73-year-old completed two doses of the Sinovac vaccine in September last year and was staying in the Wan Luen Home for Elderly.
The 76-year-old was not vaccinated.
The two deaths bring the total number of coronavirus deaths in Hong Kong to 207.
Larry Lee, the Hospital Authority’s Chief Manager (Integrated Clinical Services), said there were two other patients in critical condition and three in serious condition.
The two in critical condition are an unvaccinated 83-year-old and a 57-year-old who completed two doses in August last year.
The three in serious condition are a 50-year-old man who completed two jabs in August last year, a 56-year-old man who only received one dose and an unvaccinated 77-year-old woman.
Lee said these cases and the deaths showed it is important to get vaccinated and boosted for those already jabbed.
“What is common among those jabbed is that they were vaccinated a while ago, in August and September last year. I would like to urge the public to get a booster shot,” said Lee.
The chief manager also called on the public to reduce social gatherings as the occupancy rates of isolation rooms and beds approach 90 per cent.
He also said that with the recent large increase in cases, services at public hospitals would be affected.
Of the new infections reported on Wednesday, 1,153 are local cases.
Most are suspected to be of the Omicron variant.
The Centre for Health Protection noted that there were still many cases coming from family gatherings of 10 to 20 people around the Lunar New Year holiday.
In some cases, the whole family was infected.
The center also recorded around 800 preliminary positive cases.
