"30 Deaths in Hong Kong Over a Month"... COVID-19 Resurges in Chinese-speaking Regions

Sharp Increase in COVID-19 Cases in Mainland China and Singapore

Chinese-language media outlets, including the South China Morning Post (SCMP), reported on the 17th that COVID-19 is resurging in Chinese-speaking regions.

According to the reports, Hong Kong health authorities announced that there have been 30 COVID-19-related deaths over the past four weeks. Among 81 adult patients with severe symptoms during this period, about 40% have died.

The COVID-19 positivity rate also increased from 6.21% during April 6-12 last month to 13.66% during May 4-10 this year, marking the highest level in a year.

A head of the pediatric infectious disease ward at a public hospital in Hong Kong told the SCMP on this day, "Recently, there has been a surge in child patients," adding, "Previously, there were no COVID-19 patients, but now the ward is full of young patients who have not been vaccinated."

This official stated, "Some do not have severe symptoms, but patients are suffering from high fevers exceeding 39 degrees Celsius for two to three days," and urged vaccination.

Popular Hong Kong singer Eason Chan announced via Weibo (the Chinese version of X) that he contracted COVID-19 and canceled his concert scheduled for this weekend in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Hong Kong’s Sing Tao Daily reported that multiple regions in mainland China have also seen a rising trend in COVID-19 cases since last month.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced on the 8th that the COVID-19 positivity rate increased from 7.5% during March 30 to April 6 to 16.2% during May 4-10 this year.

Tang Shuangshui, chief physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, said, "Over the past two weeks, the number of new COVID-19 patients has nearly doubled compared to before."

However, he added, "It has not yet reached a significant scale and remains within a controllable range."

Singapore has also seen a noticeable increase in confirmed cases, to the extent that it released updated infection statistics for the first time in about a year this month.

During the week from April 27 to May 3, the estimated number of confirmed cases was 14,200, a 28% increase compared to the previous week. The number of hospitalized patients also rose by 30% during the same period.