As at 1pm, three more patients had been confirmed to have SARS in public hospitals. One is a Prince of Wales Hospital healthcare worker, while the others are patients and contacts of patients with SARS.

A total of 1,171 patients have recovered from SARS and been discharged from hospitals. Of them, 11 were discharged today. There are now 232 active cases under treatment in hospitals, of which 52 patients are in intensive care.

Most patients are responding positively to the treatment protocol. Sixty-five are recovering patients in convalescence preparing for discharge. There were 14 suspected cases.

Four patients died in Prince of Wales, Princess Margaret and Wong Tai Sin Hospitals. This brought to 238 the total number of SARS deaths.

The deceased were three men and one woman aged 53 to 90. Two had a history of chronic disease.

Deputy Director of Health Dr Leung Pak-yin said the Government is trying to convince the World Health Organisation to lift its travel advisory against Hong Kong, citing the continuing downward trend in new cases.

"We are trying to convince the WHO that we are doing our best in Hong Kong. We have told them the numbers are going down. The most important task we have now is to control the outbreak," he said.

Hospital Authority Senior Executive Manager Dr Beatrice Cheng confirmed that the New Territories East Cluster has revised its guidelines on the use of protective gear due to better understanding of the risks and method of SARS transmission.

Staff working in high-risk areas or in close contact with patients are required to wear N95 facemasks. Those carrying out high-risk duties also have to wear the masks.

Meanwhile, authority Chairman Leong Che-hung said a panel will be set up to review how it has handled the SARS outbreak. It will discuss lessons to be learned from the outbreak and how to improve the authority's structure and services, and preparedness for the handling of any future outbreaks.

The panel will include members of the authority and outside parties, and is expected to complete the review in three months' time.