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

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating 3,983 additional locally acquired COVID-19 cases, of which 1,046 were identified through nucleic acid tests and 2,937 via rapid antigen tests.

Separately, 386 imported cases were detected.

Furthermore, six residential care homes for the elderly and two for disabled people logged 16 virus cases involving their residents and staff.

There were also 655 positive cases, concerning 556 students and 99 staff, filed by 462 schools.

In addition to reporting that two more patients passed away in public hospitals due to the coronavirus, the Hospital Authority registered three more critical patients, bringing the number of patients in critical condition to 35.

At a media briefing this afternoon, the centre’s Principal Medical & Health Officer Dr Albert Au said the epidemic situation has plateaued in Hong Kong, which has seen no significant change in the number of daily infections.

“We see that in the past two weeks, there was no significant decrease in the number of cases. So we assess that the epidemic situation has reached a plateau level at around 3,500 cases per day to 4,500 cases per day.”

Dr Au also warned of an upcoming winter flu season and he called on people to get vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19 concurrently, noting that the city did not encounter serious co-infection of both viruses as the number of influenza cases was at an extremely low level over the past few years.

“However, this situation might change as the local general immunity against influenza among the general population has also decreased due to the fact that we did not encounter many influenza cases in the past two to three years.

“So we encourage people to receive their influenza vaccinations in order to get protected before the winter influenza season arrives.”

Due to a number of positive cases, 62 specified places are included in a compulsory testing notice. It also covers another two places in Ma Wan and Ho Man Tin where some sewage samples tested positive for the virus.

The service of ad-hoc mobile specimen collection stations at Wang Tau Hom Estate in Lok Fu and Park Island in Ma Wan will be extended to tomorrow. The station at Park Island will be relocated to the sheltered walkway outside Block 19.

Since there were positive sewage test results with relatively high viral loads in several areas of Tai Po, Wong Tai Sin and North District, the respective district offices will distribute COVID-19 rapid test kits to relevant residents as well as cleaning workers and property management staff working there.

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