Number of new Covid cases soars to 2,071

Hong Kong’s surging number of coronavirus cases has reached a new record daily high of 2,071, with this figure set to more than double on Tuesday thanks to over 4,500 preliminary positive cases.

Of the confirmed cases reported on Monday, all but 19 are local infections.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said there are backlogs in testing, delays in the confirmation of infections and bottlenecks in the admission of patients.

The CHP said post-mortem specimens were taken from two elderly men who recently died before being sent to hospital, and the samples returned positive.

They were a 73-year-old who lived in Lam Tin and a 77-year-old who lived in Yau Ma Tei.

Subsequent tests at the mortuaries showed the men carried the virus.

Meanwhile, two other elderly men with Covid have died at public hospitals.

Ten Covid patients were in a critical condition, including a three-year-old girl, officials said on Monday.

The Hospital Authority said more than 3,600 Covid patients are currently in public hospitals or isolation facilities.

It said it would set up a hotline for thousands of patients who are waiting to be admitted to hospital.