Hong Kong logs 3,807 new local Covid cases
Health authorities on Monday reported 3,807 new local Covid infections and 233 imported cases.  1,528 patients are currently being treated in public hospitals; among them seven are under intensive care.  Meanwhile, officials told a daily press briefing that a 20-month-old girl was seriously ill after she came down with the coronavirus, even though her condition has since improved.  A chief manager of the Hospital Authority, Lau Ka-hin, said the baby’s family members also contracted the virus.  The toddler tested positive on August 5 and had a fever and a cough. She was taken to United Christian Hospital the following day after she experienced breathing difficulties.  Lau said the girl developed a croup – an infection of the upper airway, which obstructs breathing and causes a characteristic barking cough – and received intensive care. She was transferred back to the paediatrics isolation ward on Sunday after her condition stabilised.  He noted that more children infected with Covid were diagnosed with croup recently, and appealed to parents to get their children vaccinated against the coronavirus.  Lau also called on parents to monitor their kids’ condition closely if they are infected.  “When the patient gets an infection of the airway, the airway may swell and block the airflow, which can be a life-threatening situation,” he said.  “If you find your child who has suffered from viral infections, for example Covid-19 infections, and show difficulty in breathing, increasing breathing rate, some sucking of the intercostal spaces, and also maybe some hoarseness of the voices, some of what we call “stridor” – some high-pitch sound during breathing – please bring your child to see the doctor or go to the emergency department as soon as possible.”  There were seven more Covid-related deaths, involving patients aged between 66 and 88.