Hong Kong is getting closer to meeting conditions for having the World Health Organisation's travel advisory lifted. As at 1pm today, just one new patient was confirmed to have SARS, marking the 16th straight day that the number of new cases has remained in single digits.

More than 70% of all SARS patients have recovered

A total of 1,213 patients - more than 70% of all confirmed cases - have recovered and been discharged from public hospitals. Of them, 10 were sent home today.

Most of the 250 patients currently in hospital are responding positively to the new treatment protocol. Of them, 45 are receiving treatment in intensive-care units.

Another 63 patients are recovering in convalescence, in preparation for discharge.

Four patients, two men and two women, have died. Two of them were seniors with a history of chronic illness, a 76-year-old man who died at Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and a 94-year-old woman who died at Prince of Wales Hospital.

The other two were Amoy Gardens residents, a 32-year-old woman who died at United Christian Hospital and a 51-year-old man who died at Prince of Wales Hospital.

This brings to 251 the number of SARS-related deaths.

There are 15 suspected cases.

Thank you, Hong Kong

Director of Health Dr Margaret Chan thanked everyone in the community for their efforts. Only through full participation and cooperation was Hong Kong able to see the number of new cases shrink to its lowest levels to date.

There are 1,185 individuals from 467 households under home confinement orders, and no warning letters were needed. Dr Chan thanked these people for their cooperation, also.

The temperature checks at boundary crossings are working smoothly. One visitor arriving at the airport needed further examination by healthcare workers, but they eventually determined he was not suffering from SARS. 

Two passengers at the Lo Wu border were sent to hospital after they were found to have a high temperature, as was a passenger returning from Macau. Two of the three have been discharged, and one remains under observation.

No students nor school staff members have been infected since classes resumed.

New confirmed case is four-month-old baby

A four-month baby girl developed SARS symptoms on May 16. Doctors have confirmed she has SARS. Five adults in her family had already been confirmed as SARS patients. All of them, including the baby, are in stable condition.

This is the third confirmed case of SARS in a child under one year old, the Hospital Authority's Senior Executive Manager Dr Liu Shao-Haei said. The other two have been discharged, he added.

Health director reports on Geneva talks

Dr Chan had just returned from Geneva where representatives from more than 10 other countries affected by SARS had met to exchange information at a WHO meeting. Some countries that could not send representatives participated by videoconferencing.

"The discussions covered the experience of the incubation period in different countries, we discussed the fatality rate, we discussed how infectious the disease was," Dr Chan said.

On Thursday, they talked about drug administration. Saturday and Sunday meetings focused on experience sharing. Following the meeting, the WHO will issue a report and a database of experiences gathered from all countries.

Experts can use the information to develop models "to see if there's anything new we can learn," Dr Chan said. It may help healthcare officials adjust their policies in future.

The representatives of countries endorsed the measures adopted by the Hong Kong Government, she said.

Mainland efforts recognised

In Geneva, they also reported on the measures taken on the Mainland to fight SARS.

"All those present felt that Mainland China was making huge efforts and that they're beginning to see results," she said. "We still need to work together on this - SARS is not a problem specific to one place, it is now a global problem."

She added that, since Hong Kong has been reporting single-digit numbers of new cases for 16 days in a row, that will definitely be helpful in discussions with WHO to see the travel advisory lifted.

"We would like to thank Vice Premier Wu Yi who lobbied for Hong Kong's interests," she said.

"We will continue with our work, we must continue our commitment - and our performance - to see the number of cases decline."

Next step: reinvigorating Hong Kong

Dr Chan noted that as Hong Kong brings the epidemic under control, members of the public have indicated that they would like to return to a normal life, step by step.

"SARS has dealt a severe blow to our health, and our economy," she said. "We now need to reinvigorate our economy."