A child (center) plays on a Christmas display in front of the city skyline at a shopping mall in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong on Dec 24, 2020. (ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)

HONG KONG - An electronic platform for Hong Kong residents to book their COVID-19 vaccinations will be ready by next month, according to a government official, as the city logged 59 new coronavirus infections on Saturday.

Hong Kong Secretary for Innovation and Technology Alfred Sit Wing-hang told reporters that the platform will help create a centralized record of residents' vaccine history.

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The financial hub reported 59 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday, including 53 local infections, of which 26 untraceable, a health official said

It will allow residents to book the first and second doses of the vaccine together, and the vaccination records will be stored on the Hospital Authority and Department of Health system, Sit said.

Separately, Hong Kong will prioritize vaccinations for the elderly and key personnel, including cross-border truck drivers, and medical and care workers, local media cited a senior government official as saying.

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The financial hub reported 59 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday, including 53 local infections, of which 26 untraceable, a health official said at a news briefing in the afternoon.

One patient who arrived from the United Kingdom was found to be infected with the new strain of the coronavirus, he added.

The city's overall infection tally stood at 8,540.

According to a press release issued by the Hospital Authority, a total of 921 patients are currently receiving treatment in 23 public hospitals and community treatment facilities, including 55 in critical condition.

Meanwhile, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said on Saturday that it had taken stringent enforcement actions relating to anti-pandemic regulations during the Christmas period.

It stepped up inspections and conducted joint operations with police in Central and Western, Wan Chai, Southern District, Yau Tsim Mong, Wong Tai Sin, Kwai Tsing and Tsuen Wan on Friday.

The department initiated procedures on prosecution against seven catering business operators suspected of breaking anti-pandemic regulations, according to a statement issued by the department.

 With Bloomberg inputs