Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported 125 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, the 11th consecutive day when the number of daily additional cases exceeded 100.
The newly reported cases, including one imported case and 124 local infections, brought Hong Kong's total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 3,396.
Among the local cases, 79 cases are related to previously confirmed cases, while the sources of infection of the other 45 cases remained unknown, Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the CHP's Communicable Disease Branch, said at a media briefing on Saturday afternoon.
According to Hong Kong's Hospital Authority, another four patients diagnosed with COVID-19 have passed away since Friday night, bringing the death toll from COVID-19 in Hong Kong to 31.
Sara Ho, a chief manager of the Hospital Authority, said at the briefing that 1,858 patients with confirmed infection have been discharged from hospitals after recovery, while 1,179 confirmed patients are hospitalized, including 37 in critical condition and 44 in serious condition.
The current occupancy rates of negative pressure rooms and isolation beds in public hospitals are 80 percent and 77 percent respectively, according to Ho.
To alleviate the demand for isolation beds in public hospitals, the Hospital Authority has started using the community isolation facility at Lei Yue Mun Park and Holiday Village to receive suitable patients with particular clinical conditions.
A community treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo near Hong Kong's airport was put into use on Saturday, and was expected to receive 20 to 30 patients on the first day, Ho said. Enditem
