HONG KONG - The Department of Health said Friday that 59 police officers would be placed under quarantine after attending a dinner gathering along with a 48-year-old police officer who was tested positive for the novel coronavirus pneumonia.

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Hong Kong reported no new cases of the virus on Friday, while one more patient was discharged from hospital

His infection was confirmed on Thursday, becoming the city's 69th and latest patient of the disease.

Four of those who attended the Feb 18 dinner have developed symptoms of infection and are waiting for test results in hospitals, said a government official at a daily press briefing.  

Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Communicable Disease Branch under the Centre for Health Protection, told a press briefing that the patient also went to a restaurant in Yau Tong, Kowloon, and relevant contacts would be traced.   

The Hospital Authority said at the press briefing that the protective equipment in stock could last a month, adding that non-emergency services could be readjusted to ensure that all frontline workers have enough protective equipment.

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Hong Kong reported no new cases of the virus on Friday, while one more patient was discharged from hospital, bringing the number of cured cases to six.

Meanwhile, the four patients in critical condition were showing signs of improvement, the official said. Of the 61 patients still in hospital, 55 are stable and six are in serious condition.

With Xinhua inputs