Hong Kong’s New COVID-19 Cases Top 10,000 in Spiraling Outbreak

A boy receives a dose of China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at a community vaccination center in Hong Kong on Feb. 25, 2022. Kin Cheung/AP Photo

HONG KONG—Hong Kong on Feb. 25 reported another sharp jump in new COVID-19 cases to more than 10,000 in the latest 24-hour period as it battles its worst outbreak of the pandemic.

The new daily case count reached 10,010, health officials said, after topping 6,000 last week and 8,000 earlier this week in a spiraling outbreak. The city has been reporting about 50 deaths a day.

The government has announced plans to test city’s 7.4 million people next month as it tries to adhere to a zero-COVID policy modeled on the strict mainland China approach.

Residents line up to get tested for the coronavirus at a temporary testing center despite the rain in Hong Kong, on Feb. 22, 2022. Kin Cheung/AP Photo

Mainland experts and builders are putting up temporary testing facilities and building isolation centers to handle the burgeoning caseload. The zero-COVID approach requires the isolation of anyone who tests positive, even without symptoms, to prevent spread.

Hong Kong started a vaccine pass system this week, requiring people entering shopping malls, restaurants, gyms, and other premises to be vaccinated.