Health Officials Urge Public Not to Panic as COVID-19 Cases Rise

Local news outlet RTHK reported in an article yesterday that health officials have urged people to remain calm as the number of daily COVID-19 cases rises.

The number of cases has rapidly increased by more than 20% compared to the week prior, with more people being admitted to hospitals. It was reported that 9,219 new infections and 13 deaths were recorded on Nov. 24, compared to 7,985 cases and 11 deaths on Nov. 23.

“This may be due to a number of factors such as increases in the local social activities,” Dr. Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection was quoted as saying, “[and] increases in the number of travellers resulting in an increasing number of imported cases and also there may be some waning immunity among especially those residential care home elderlies”

According to RTHK reporting, Dr. Chuang added that she expects the number of COVID-19 cases to continue to rise in the near future.

Undersecretary for health, Libby Lee, advised members of the public “not to feel frustrated or panic”, reminding people that the BioNTech bivalent booster vaccine, which will combat the Omicron Variant should be available for use in a few weeks’ time.

While COVID-19 measures will remain in place for now, health officials have stated that the measures could be tightened if needs be.

“If the situation turns very, very bad, like the whole medical system is collapsed, patients with Covid or no Covid cannot access any medical services, at this juncture, of course we will need to tighten the social distancing measures,” Lee was quoted as saying, “Yet this is the last thing we would like to do.”

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