Coronavirus: as Covid-19 infections rise, strategy shift for Hong Kong’s hospital beds necessary, experts warn
- Even with addition of 400 beds this week, if daily tally of confirmed cases continues at current pace, city’s isolation wards will soon be full
- Young people with mild symptoms could be placed at quarantine facilities like Chun Yeung Estate in Fo Tan, government adviser says
With the daily tally of Covid-19 cases surging, Hong Kong is under pressure to shift its strategy for the city’s hospital beds by isolating asymptomatic patients and those with mild symptoms at quarantine facilities in the community, a top infectious disease expert and a senior hospital official have warned.
Up to 51 infected patients in the city were pending admission as of Sunday night including a 36-year-old patient who was confirmed on Friday, even as Hospital Authority chief executive Tony Ko Pat-sing said some 400 additional isolation beds would be put into service this week.
The warning came as the Legislative Council announced it would cancel its weekly meeting on Wednesday because of the pandemic. Imported cases, meanwhile, continue to fuel the city’s infections, with 40 of Sunday’s 59 new confirmed cases having a recent travel history. The total now stands at 641.
University of Hong Kong infectious diseases expert and government adviser Yuen Kwok-yung on Monday said cases could continue to surge following the returning of tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents from all parts of the world.
“Hong Kong is now facing a severe situation,” he told a radio programme. “Some citizens have let their guards down on keeping personal hygiene as the pandemic has entered the third month – the situation is becoming a little out of control.”
