Pedestrians cross a road in front of a vacant shop in Hong Kong on Dec 9, 2022. (ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)

HONG KONG – Hong Kong's health authorities on Saturday announced recording 14,377 new coronavirus cases, including 698 imported ones, marking the fourth straight day of daily caseload over 10,000.

Another 21 people diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 virus died, taking the city’s tally of casualty since the start of the pandemic to 10,935, according to the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health.

Hong Kong registered 13,924 cases on Friday, and 14,373 the previous day while 11,981 on Wednesday. 

Of Saturday’s locally acquired 13,679 cases, 10,643 tested positive by rapid antigen tests while the rest 3,036 by nucleic acid tests.

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The CHP said 390 of the imported cases involved samples taken at the Hong Kong International Airport, 245 involved samples taken during day 1 to day 3 of their arrival, and the remaining 63 involved samples taken during day 4 to day 7.

As of Dec 9, the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch had identified 226 cases of sub-lineage XBB, six of XBD, eight of BA.2.75.2, seven of BA.4.6, 13 of BF.7 and 38 of BQ.1.1 among imported cases. Meanwhile, 123 cases of sub-lineage XBB, 18 of XBD, one of BA.2.75.2, six of BF.7 and 143 of BQ.1.1 have been detected among the locally transmitted cases.

Labor and welfare chief tests positive 

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun has tested positive for COVID-19 through a RAT testing and is undergoing isolation in accordance with CHP guidelines, a spokesman for the Labour and Welfare Bureau said on Saturday.

Sun last went to work on Dec 8. He wore masks and followed relevant disease prevention measures at work, including conducting polymerase chain reaction-based nucleic acid tests and rapid antigen tests regularly. He has no recent travel history.

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The bureau will conduct thorough cleaning and disinfection operations at the office concerned and will continue to implement disease prevention measures vigorously, the spokesman added.