Hong Kong logs 7,938 new Covid cases
Hong Kong on Monday recorded 7,938 new Covid cases, including 166 imported infections.  Eleven more Covid patients have died in the previous day - five of whom were unvaccinated.  The Hospital Authority said 2,753 Covid patients are being treated in public hospitals. 56 of them are in critical condition.  Among the 14 patients under intensive care is a 10 year old boy who also suffers from epilepsy.  Health officials said he has received two doses of the Sinovac vaccine.  Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection, meanwhile, said the daily tally seems to be stablising and coming down in recent days, but it is hard to conclude whether the outbreak has peaked yet.  “It is true that in the past few days, it appears that the figures have stablised and come down, but we still have to monitor closely. We don’t yet know whether it has to do with the [public] holiday and whether there will be a rebound afterwards,” she said.  “Also we have to look at whether [the variant] BA.5 has peaked. It accounts for around 68 percent of the cases now. Will it stay there or will it go up?  We have to pay attention.” Experts had said this wave of outbreak may begin to ease off when the more transmissible BA.4 and BA.5 variants account for at least 80 percent of the new infections.  Chuang was also asked about University of Hong Kong infectious disease expert Ho Pak-leung’s suggestion for the government to scrap compulsory testing notices for residents in buildings where Covid patients are found, or where sewage samples test positive of the virus.  She said the government will consider experts’ views and make changes if necessary. ______________________________

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