HK sees 104 new cases on eve of tougher virus curbs

HONG KONG - Hong Kong reported 104 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, bringing the city's tally of confirmed cases 7,179 on the eve of tighter social distancing rules.

The new cases included 99 local infections and five imported cases, Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Centre for Health Protection's communicable disease branch, said at a media briefing.

Of the 104 new cases, 35 were untraceable. There were also 60 people who tested preliminarily positive, Chuang added.

An 85-year-old woman, who died on Wednesday afternoon, became the city's 113th coronavirus-related fatality, Hospital Authority's chief manager Sara Ho said at the same briefing.

Chuang said 12 new patients were linked to the dance club cluster, which now has more than 690 confirmed patients.

This growing cluster has also led to new infection groups, such as the one centered around Ho Yuk Ching Willow Lodge, an elderly care home in Tai Kok Tsui.