People walk along a promenade by Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong on Sept 29, 2022. (ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong recorded 4,900 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday as the city’s toll during the fifth wave exceeded 10,000 after 13 new deaths were reported.

In a statement, the Centre for Health Protection said the new cases comprised 295 imported infections and 4,605 local cases. Saturday’s figure is higher than the 4,369 cases reported yesterday. The 13 new reported deaths brought the city’s toll to 10,002. 

The Centre for Health Protection said the new cases comprised 295 imported infections and 4,605 local cases

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Those linked to the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 accounted for 93.8 percent of new local cases from Sept 29 to Oct 5, the CHP said.     

In a separate statement, the Hospital Authority said a total of 1,582 COVID patients were being treated in hospitals, including 205 new patients.

Thirty-two COVID patients were in critical condition, including nine receiving intensive care, while 18 were in serious condition, the HA added.

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Meanwhile, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan attended the Wan Chai District Student Vaccination Day on Saturday at SKH St James' Primary School to encourage school children and their parents to get vaccinated together against COVID-19. Around 170 were expected to get their jabs, according to a government statement.

Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan (front row, centre) chats with a student (front row, left) who just received her COVID-19 jab during the Wan Chai District Student Vaccination Day at SKH St James' Primary School on Oct 8, 2022. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

“This is a triple-win situation for the schools, parents and students, and it will be safer for students to get vaccinated before taking part in school activities. I encourage more districts to organize similar vaccination events for school children," Yeung was quoted as saying in the statement.

To promote COVID-19 vaccination of young children and students, Yeung said the Hong Kong Speial Administrative Region government has lowered the threshold for its school outreach COVID-19 vaccination service to 10 persons.

“Since September, we have lined up about 60 schools to arrange vaccination of their students by group bookings, and we hope that more schools will follow suit. Moreover, about 155 school outreach events have been organized at primary schools and kindergartens,” Yeung said. 

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She noted that the third-dose vaccination rate of persons aged 12 to 19 is about 67 percent. 

“Although the epidemic situation has subsided as compared with August, I appeal to parents to bear in mind of arranging for their children to receive the appropriate number of vaccine doses on time in order to be well-prepared before winter approaches," she said.