*****************************************************
The following is jointly issued by the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority:
There was no new confirmed case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) reported today (June 19). This is the eighth consecutive day of zero infection in Hong Kong. It is also the 35th day in a row on which the number of case has fallen below five since May 16.
The number of patients recovered and discharged from hospital was 1396. Three patients were discharged today.
The number of SARS patients in intensive care unit is 12. These cases are part of the 38 cases under treatment in hospitals. Most of the patients are showing positive responses to the treatment protocol. In addition, 25 are recovering patients in convalescence and in preparation for discharge.
One female patient aged 68 with underlying disease died in Queen Elizabeth Hospital. This brought to 296 the total number of deaths relating to SARS.
Meanwhile, temperature checks for all passengers at the airport, ports and border points continue to be implemented to watch for travellers displaying symptoms of SARS. In addition, all incoming travellers are required to complete a health declaration. Four passengers were screened out during temperature checks at these points yesterday. All were released after undergoing further medical checks.
The cumulative total of persons covered by home confinement remains at 1262 (from 493 households). Thanks to the co-operation of the confinees and members of the community, no new warning letter has been issued since May 16 and the scheme is running smoothly.
The cumulative figure for patients who have been admitted to public hospitals with SARS since March 12 is as follows:
| Nature | Cumulative Number | Total No. of Discharged Patients | Total No. of Deaths | No. of Patients in Hospital |
||||||||
| Health care workers of Hospitals/Clinics and medical students | 386 | 370 ( + 1) | 296 ( + 1) |
| ||||||||
| Patients, family members & visitors | 1369 | 1026 ( + 2) | ||||||||||
| Total | 1755 ( + 0) | 1396 ( + 3) | ||||||||||
| Suspected cases | 1 |
End/Thursday, June 19, 2003
NNNN
Floor/
Cantonese/
English
