The first batch of 106 Hong Kong residents on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship return to Hong Kong from Tokyo on Feb 20, 2020 on a flight chartered by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government. (PHOTO / INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT)

HONG KONG - Another Hong Kong resident among the group brought back from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan was confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus on Friday, bringing the city’s infection tally to 94.

The latest patient is 61-year-old women who showed no symptom of the illness earlier, Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, said at a daily briefing on Friday.

The patient was among 106 passengers who returned to the city on Feb 20 on the first chartered flight arranged by the government

The patient was among 106 passengers who returned to the city on Feb 20 on the first chartered flight arranged by the government. Upon arrival, all people on that flight and subsequent charter flights were sent to Chun Yeung Estate in Fo Tan for a 14-day-mandatory quarantine.

She took the cruise ship with several relatives, including her husband, who shared a room with her on board.

So far, seven of the 218 passengers quarantined at the estate have been confirmed to be infected.

Meanwhile, chief manager of the Hospital Authority’s Patient Safety and Risk Management Unit Sara Ho Yuen-ha said the authority has further expanded the epidemic surveillance scheme.

Starting from Friday, more than 60 specialist out-patient clinics in addition to public hospitals and general out-patient clinics would be ready to conduct coronavirus infection tests.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus: 13 infections linked to Buddhist worship hall

In addition, the scheme has been expanded to cover patients aged below 18 and those showing minor symptoms.

Ho said the stock of protective gear at public hospitals has increased slightly, with the latest count of 19 million face masks, 2.8 million protective clothing and 0.8 million face shields, which should be sufficient for the use of more than one month.

She said N95 face masks are still in short supply with only 1.1 million in stock and cautioned that the situation could worsen in the near future as global purchase of protective gears has become increasingly difficult in light of the latest outbreaks in countries in Asia and Europe. 

READ MORE: HK reports 6 new infections; tally at 91