Health authorities on the mainland said on Sunday that a further 12,658 patients with Covid-19 had died in the week ending on Thursday.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said 681 of the deaths were a result of respiratory failure due to Covid-19 while the remainder involved a combination of the coronavirus and other health conditions.

The centre said that, as of Thursday, 472,000 people were being treated in hospital for the coronavirus, of whom 51,700 were in "severe" condition.

Health authorities said last week that there had been just under 60,000 Covid-related deaths between December 8, 2022 and January 12.

A prominent government scientist said on Saturday that the possibility of a big Covid rebound over the next two or three months is remote because 80 percent of people on the mainland had already been infected.