Hong Kong logs 4,593 new Covid infections
Health authorities on Wednesday reported 4,593 new Covid cases, including 4,344 local infections. There were four more Covid-related deaths, involving patients aged between 61 and 87. Officials said 23 patients are in critical condition and 25 are seriously ill – among them six are receiving intensive care.  Speaking at a daily Covid briefing, the Hospital Authority’s chief manager, Gladys Kwan, said four staff members at the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital had come down with the coronavirus. She said they include a doctor, two nurses and a ward assistant who took care of a Covid patient last month. She said further investigation will be carried out to see if the cases are linked.  Kwan added that testing requirements at the hospital had been stepped up in light of the cases, and no new infections or close contacts have been identified so far.   She was asked whether the cases highlight the need for all hospital staff or those who have an amber health code to get daily PCR tests, instead of twice a week. “For this particular group of staff, now actually they are doing daily PCR to make sure whether there are any other confirmed cases within this cohort of patients and staff. Whether staff with the amber code should be required to have daily PCR tests… we are still in the process of discussion,” she said.______________________________

USEFUL LINKSGeneral Covid-19 situation: https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/Community Clinics for Covid-19 patients: https://bit.ly/3a4BZFERAT 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