There were two new cases of SARS reported in the last 24 hours, marking the 35th day in a row that the number of new cases remains in single digits.

A total of 1,360 patients - nearly 78% of the total number of confirmed cases -  have recovered and been discharged from public hospitals. Of them, 10 were sent home today.

The new cases are two elderly women who are believed to have contracted SARS during their stay in hospital.

One of patients was admitted to North District Hospital on May 22 and was transferred to Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital on June 3. The other patient was admitted to Caritas Medical Centre on April 1.

To minimise hospital infections, public hospitals are now spacing out hospital beds and installing plastic curtains as partitions, if feasible. Improvement works on ventilation facilities in hospital wards will continue.

There were no new fatalities, leaving the total number of SARS-related deaths at 286.

Most of the 73 patients currently in hospital are responding positively to the new treatment protocol. Of them, 22 are receiving treatment in intensive-care units.

Another 33 patients are recovering in convalescence, in preparation for discharge. There are seven suspected cases.

There are 1,256 people from 492 families under home-confinement orders. Thanks to the co-operation of the confinees and members of the community, no new warning letters have been issued since May 16 and the scheme is running smoothly.

Three passengers failed the initial temperature checks at the boundary checkpoints yesterday, but were cleared on a second check.