(To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating 2,071 additional COVID-19 cases, of which 19 are imported and the rest are locally infected.

A total of 8,875 positive cases were reported in Hong Kong in the past 14 days, comprising 113 imported and 8,762 locally acquired cases.

The centre’s Communicable Disease Branch Head Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan told a press briefing this afternoon that the Government is doing its utmost to clear the backlog of virus tests.

“Around 2,000 cases have been confirmed positive by our laboratory, but we have around 4,500 cases on hand which are preliminary positive. So we communicated with our laboratory and understand that maybe (there are) 1,000 to 1,500 specimens - there may be duplications - that should have been tested yesterday, but there is a backlog.

“We expect those specimens will be confirmed today, but because of the vast amount of specimens and tests being done, there is some delay in the confirmation of the specimens.”

She added that the centre will review the existing practice amid the fifth wave of the epidemic.

“We will treat all preliminary positive cases as cases and arrange them for admission, we will not wait for them to be confirmed, but there is still a bottleneck in the waiting time for admission. At this point, we still need the public health laboratory to confirm the tests, but of course, we will monitor the situation and review the practice from time to time.”

In view of a number of preliminary positive and positive cases, 21 specified places are included in a compulsory testing notice.

Free testing services will be provided for people subject to mandatory testing at community testing centres and mobile specimen collection stations located at 59 places in the city tomorrow.

As sewage discharged from Wah Yu House, Wah Fu (1) Estate has tested positive for the virus, the Government made restriction-testing declarations tonight to cover the building, requiring people in the restricted area to undergo compulsory testing.

Positive sewage test results were also found at Lee Shing House, Lee On Estate in Sha Tin and 44 people in the building have preliminarily tested positive for the virus, so the Government has extended the restriction-testing declaration period to tomorrow.

Regarding the positive sewage test results found in several areas in Yuen Long, Sham Shui Po as well as the Eastern, Islands and North districts, the Home Affairs Department will distribute COVID-19 rapid test kits to all cleansing workers and property management staff working in those areas from tomorrow.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage.