The number of new Covid-19 cases stayed above the 10,000 again on Sunday as authorities warned that infection figures were likely to keep increasing.

Health authorities reported 10,683 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, including 193 imported cases. There were eight new fatalities among coronavirus patients, comprising of people between 59 and 102 years old. Four were residents of elderly care homes.

The surge in cases continue to pile pressure on the healthcare system, with 2,793 Covid patients being treated at public hospitals, including 18 in intensive care.

Although the number of infections has been hovering around the 10,000 mark in recent days, Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection said he doesn't think the outbreak has plateaued, saying various indicators point to an increase.

"Although we are not seeing an exponential rise in cases like what we experienced in February and March, the number of daily infections has doubled to 10,000 since the middle of August. We expect the upward trend to continue," he said.

Health authorities also urged recovered Covid patients who had contracted the virus in March or earlier to get an additional jab now as their antibody levels would have fallen over the past half year, reducing their protection against a fresh infection.

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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