Health officials on Sunday reported 4,455 new local Covid infections and 179 imported cases.

A total of 1,494 patients were being treated at public hospitals, of which 12 patients were in intensive care.

One more Covid patient has died.

The 82-year-old man had diabetes and hypertension, and was prescribed oral antivirals at a designated clinic on Wednesday.

He was admitted to hospital two days later with a fever and cough, but his condition deteriorated and he suffered multiple organ failure. He passed away on Saturday.

A 22-month-old girl infected with Covid remains in critical condition.

A chief manager at the Hospital Authority, Dr Gladys Kwan, said testing requirements for staff were being stepped up.

"For our staff now, apart from the daily rapid antigen test, they have to have the PCR test twice every week. We already cover those colleagues who are taking care of the high-risk group patients, and these plans will continue to expand," she said.

"So starting from next week, we are going to cover all the A&E colleagues as well as those who do outreach work at residential homes. We will review the effectiveness and see if we can further expand."

Separately, Kwan said hospitals have been arranging compassionate visits for families of critically ill patients throughout the pandemic, and that staff will try to cater to the needs of the families.

She was responding to questions about the dancer seriously injured at a MIRROR concert last week, whose family is understood to have gone to Queen Elizabeth, Hospital where he's being treated, not long after flying into Hong Kong from Canada on Sunday.

The Centre for Health Protection's Chuang Shuk-kwan said from April 2021 to March this year around 1,240 applications for compassionate visits had been approved.

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USEFUL LINKS
General Covid-19 situation: https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/
Community Clinics for Covid-19 patients: https://bit.ly/3a4BZFE
RAT reporting platform: https://www.chp.gov.hk/ratp/
Vaccination programme: https://www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/sen/
Vaccination pass scheme: https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/vaccine-pass.html
Hotline for Covid-positive patients: 1836 115