(To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating 26,908 additional local COVID-19 cases, of which 12,040 were detected by way of nucleic acid tests and 14,868 were identified via rapid antigen tests.

No imported cases were reported today.

At a press briefing this afternoon, Hospital Authority Chief Manager (Quality & Standards) Dr Lau Ka-hin told reporters that the authority will work with Mainland medical workers to handle the city’s COVID-19 patients by experience and expertise sharing.

“In the past few weeks, the number of confirmed cases rose a lot which means we are treating a lot of patients. Our facilities as well as our manpower have been overloaded. So we are happy that our Mainland (medical personnel) can come to Hong Kong to treat our citizens.

“Ten to 20 Mainland (medical professionals) came to Hong Kong to discuss the (city’s) model of care. Our decision is (that) we treat the patients together in a collaboration model. We want to give the best treatment to the patients. At the same time, the experience (of fighting the COVID-19 epidemic) in the Mainland is important to us.”

The authority also announced that from tomorrow, it will activate six more designated clinics for COVID-19 patients developing relatively mild symptoms but carrying high risks, including people aged 70 or above, children aged five or below, women at 28 or more weeks of pregnancy and immunocompromised individuals.

The six newly activated clinics are the Wan Tsui General Out-patient Clinic, Wang Tau Hom Jockey Club General Out-patient Clinic, Lam Tin Polyclinic General Out-patient Clinic, Shek Kip Mei General Out-patient Clinic, Tsing Yi Town General Out-patient Clinic and Madam Yung Fung Shee Health Centre, bringing the total number of such clinics to 23.

These clinics are open every day from 9am to 1pm, and from 2pm to 5pm.

The 23 clinics will launch the Care Booking Line tomorrow, which provides designated telephone booking lines to high-risk confirmed COVID-19 patients for making appointments in addition to the existing telephone booking service.

Meanwhile, the authority has decided that normal general outpatient services at the designated clinics, as well as services at some other general outpatient clinics, will be suspended from tomorrow.

Episodic patients who have made an appointment over the phone or via the HA Go mobile app are advised to seek consultation at other general outpatient clinics in the district or at private clinics. Chronic patients with follow-up appointments at the clinics may refill their drugs at the designated Medication Refill Clinic in the district on the appointment day.

Additionally, the Department of Health announced that from tomorrow, Yuen Long Elderly Health Centre, Shek Kip Mei Chest Clinic and Red Ribbon Centre at Wang Tau Hom will be temporarily closed or suspend public services.

Separately, the Government made restriction-testing declarations to cover designated buildings where sewage samples tested positive for the virus.

The buildings include Tip Mo House of Butterfly Estate in Tuen Mun; Tin Kam House, Tin Chi House of Shun Tin Estate and Lee Foo House of Shun Lee Estate in Kwun Tong; Wing Yuen House of Chuk Yuen (South) Estate in Wong Tai Sin; Fu Leung House of Fu Cheong Estate and Gladiolus House of So Uk Estate in Sham Shui Po.

People in the restricted areas must undergo compulsory testing before the specified deadline.

The mobile specimen collection station at Shek Pai Street Park will reopen tomorrow, the Government added.

As positive sewage test results were discovered in several housing estates in Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin and Yuen Long districts, the district offices will distribute COVID-19 rapid antigen test kits to relevant residents as well as cleaning workers and property management staff working in such areas.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government’s dedicated webpage.