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Hong Kong third wave: ‘no place for complacency’ on Covid-19, health officials warn, as city records small drop in new cases
- City records 106 new infections and has seen triple-digit increases every day since July 22, while daily high of 145 was set on Monday
- Stricter social-distancing measures will come into effect on Wednesday
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Health officials warned on Tuesday there was no room for complacency as Hong Kong confirmed another 106 coronavirus cases, a fall of more than a quarter from the previous day’s record high, while scientists fear a strain of Covid-19 circulating locally has the potential to do greater damage.
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The city also reported its 23rd coronavirus death on Tuesday, the seventh straight day of triple-digit rises in new infections.
That came as local scientists revealed they had found that one Covid-19 strain circulating in the city had not mutated for at least 22 days, potentially posing greater risks to people as the virus may have adapted well to the body and become more transmissible.
Despite the fall in new cases, health officials said more time would be needed to see whether the crisis had reached a peak.
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Hong Kong bans all dine-in services at restaurants in attempt to contain third wave of Covid-19
Hong Kong bans all dine-in services at restaurants in attempt to contain third wave of Covid-19
“There is no place for complacency at the moment. We still have to observe the trend,” said Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch at the Centre for Health Protection.
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“We have not seen an exponential growth [in infections] yet, but the figures are still worrying.”
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