Hong Kong residents line up to get tested for COVID-19 in Kwai Tsing district on Dec 7, 2020. (RAYMOND CHAN / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong reported 78 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the lowest daily increase this month, bringing the city’s total to 6,975.

The new infections included seven imported cases and 71 local infections, 29 of which were untraceable, Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Centre for Health Protection’s communicable disease branch, said at a press briefing.

The new patients included a student at Ma On Shan Tsung Tsin Secondary School and a teacher at Kwong Ming School in Yuen Long

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The new patients included a student at Ma On Shan Tsung Tsin Secondary School and a teacher at Kwong Ming School in Yuen Long, Chuang said.

A staffer who helped with five concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom from Nov 22 to 29 also tested preliminarily positive. The patient started showing symptoms on Thursday, Chuang added.

Four spectators at these concerts had previously been confirmed to be infected.

Chuang also said that there were more than 70 preliminary cases on Monday.

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Five staff members of a Yata supermarket in Sha Tin tested preliminarily positive after one of their colleagues was confirmed infected on Sunday.

Replying to inquiries from local Chinese media, Yata said there were another five staff members who were infected by the coronavirus, in addition to those mentioned by health authorities. So far, the supermarket has 11 patients in total.

Starting Monday, Hong Kong residents can pick up free specimen collection packs from vending machines at 10 MTR stations across the city by using their Octopus cards. They will have to return their samples to designated outpatient clinics.

The vending machines are located at MTR stations in North Point, Wong Chuk Hang, Kowloon, Kwai Fong, Tsing Yi, Ngau Tau Kok, Tiu Keng Leng, Tai Wai, Tai Po Market and Siu Hong. The MTR Corporation said about 6,500 kits had been distributed as of 11:30 am.