As at 1pm today, eight more patients have been confirmed to have SARS in public hospitals. One is a healthcare worker from Tuen Mun Hospital, and the rest are other patients and contacts of patients with SARS.

Some 917 patients have recovered from SARS and have been discharged from public hospitals. Of them, 19 were discharged today. There are also 107 recovering patients who are in convalescence and preparing to be discharged.

Most of the patients are responding positively to the new treatment protocol, with 77 in intensive care.

Five patients died in Queen Mary, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole, Princess Margaret, Tai Po and Tuen Mun Hospitals. This brought to 184 the total number of SARS deaths.

The deceased include four men and a woman aged 43 to 78.

Director of Health Dr Margaret Chan said the number of new cases falling to a single digit is good news, and she hopes the downward trend continues.

"Today is the first time we have had less than 10 cases. We are very pleased with the development. We hope the trend will be sustainable. For this to happen we will have to continue with our [prevention] efforts," she said.

"If we maintain our efforts in personal and environmental hygiene, and home confinement, if we can keep up the efforts we have put in in the last couple of weeks I'm sure the trend will continue. In the last two weeks we have seen this continuing declining trend in the number of new cases. This is a very reassuring trend.

"The efforts of the Hospital Authority and public health measures, and actions taken by members of the community at an individual level, are beginning to bear fruit."