The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating 3,172 additional locally acquired COVID-19 cases, of which 449 were identified through nucleic acid tests and 2,723 via rapid antigen tests. Separately, 111 imported cases were detected. Furthermore, seven residential care homes for the elderly and five for disabled people logged 13 cases involving their residents. The Hospital Authority reported that 20 patients passed away in public hospitals. According to a preliminary analysis, the cause of death for nine patients was related to COVID-19, while that of the remaining 11 patients was unrelated. It also registered eight more critical cases, bringing the number of patients in critical condition to 93. Separately, to align with the Government’s cancellation of issuing isolation orders from tomorrow, the authority will, starting from the same day, announce at 8.30am and 1pm the information of general out-patient clinics (GOPC) quota reserved for COVID-19
The overall Comprehensive Social Security Assistance caseload dropped to 216,442 in January, down 0.2% from last December, the Social Welfare Department announced today.
The total number of recipients stood at 305,358.
Low-earnings cases remained steady at 2,216. Single parent cases and old age cases each dropped 0.4% to 23,678 and 123,667 respectively.
Unemployment cases decreased 0.2% to 18,453 compared with last month, although it represents an increase of about 46.6% compared with January 2020 when Hong Kong just started to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The average number of applications for unemployment cases in November 2021 to January 2022 was 479 per month, representing a slight increase of 2.1% from the October to December 2021 figure.
Ill-health cases increased 0.3% to 26,980, while the number of permanent disability cases was down 0.1%, recording 17,499 cases.
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