The daily Covid caseload in Hong Kong surged past the 7,000-mark on Wednesday, as officials renewed their calls on the public to avoid attending large gatherings involving mask-less activities.

The appeal came as the Hospital Authority reported that six doctors have come down with the virus after attending a wedding banquet over the weekend.

"We very much understand that our staff have their own social life, so with this incident, we hope to remind staff that if they can't avoid going to some banquets, they'll have to pay attention to their personal hygiene and strictly follow social distancing measures," said Larry Lee, a chief manager at the Hospital Authority.

Health authorities reported 7,884 new Covid cases, 207 of them imported infections.

Fourteen more Covid patients, aged between 45 and 97, died.

There were 2,183 Covid patients receiving treatment in public hospitals, nine of them under intensive care.

The Centre for Health Protection said the trajectory of the daily caseload is "worrying", adding that the tightening of social distancing measures could not be ruled out.

"At the current rate, it's not impossible for cases to surge past 10,000," warned Chuang Shuk-kwan of the centre.

"We aim to be precise in our efforts in the fight against the pandemic, but we're also very worried about the burden on the medical system. If the upward trend continues... the government would not want to, but would not rule out tightening social distancing measures."

______________________________

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