Health authorities have warned that the number of local Covid-19 infections has risen significantly over the past week, adding that the first batch of BioNTech bivalent booster vaccine is expected to arrive at the end of the month.

Officials also announced they'll be reducing PCR testing for arrivals to Hong Kong, as the number of imported infections remains relatively stable.

Hong Kong on Thursday reported its highest daily Covid tally in about two months, with 8,052 new infections. Of the latest cases, 533 were imported.

Twelve more patients with Covid have died.

And at a Covid press conference, the Centre for Health Protection’s Dr Albert Au said there has been a 28.6 percent jump in local infections from the previous week, with many cases emerging from schools and care homes.

Imported cases, meanwhile, rose 5.7 percent.

The Hospital Authority (HA) expressed concern over a surge in local cases, saying they have seen a significant rise in hospital admissions.

Its director of cluster services, Dr Simon Tang, said on average, fewer than 200 patients were admitted each day at the beginning of last week. But that number has jumped to around 290 over the past day.

He added that more than 90 Covid patients are now in a serious or critical condition.

Tang said the HA will closely monitor the situation, and consider triggering its contingency plan if the pandemic worsens.

The undersecretary for health, Libby Lee, was asked if there's now room to further relax social distancing measures.

"The total infection rate in Hong Kong is actually rising, and the hospitals start to feel the pressure, the beds are actually quite tight at the moment. I guess we all agree that we do not want our healthcare system to collapse. We will actually gauge the pace of further relaxing carefully with the infection rate of Hong Kong," she said.

Lee urged people to get vaccinated as soon as possible, adding that those who wish to get a fourth jab will soon have the option of getting the BioNTech bivalent boosters.

Meanwhile, the government is introducing a transitional vaccine pass for exemption certificate holders who plan to get jabbed but still need more time to meet the vaccine pass requirements.

Lee said that will benefit about 50,000 people.

She also said that from November 21, incoming travellers from Taiwan and abroad will no longer be required to undergo mandatory PCR tests on the fourth and sixth days after their arrival.

The health undersecretary explained that this is because the incubation period for the Omicron variant is generally quite short, adding that people will still be required to do rapid tests every day for a week.

She also defended the government's decision announced late Wednesday to keep all skating rinks and cinemas on the list of venues requiring vaccine pass checks.

Authorities had said starting Thursday, people going to public skating rinks and cinemas that require mask-wearing do not have to scan their Covid vaccination records.

"[People] cannot tell which cinemas allow food and drinks and which do not allow to do so. It actually creates a very confusing picture to citizens. That's why we changed the policy to all cinemas to have active checking," she said.

Other venues where people don't usually take their masks off, such as wet markets, theme parks, hair salons and religious venues, are no longer subject to compulsory vaccine record scanning.
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Last updated: 2022-11-17 HKT 19:26

USEFUL LINKS
General Covid-19 situation: https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/
Community Clinics for Covid-19 patients: https://bit.ly/3EiiczC
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