HONG KONG - Hong Kong reported 96 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday as city’s deputy health chief said that the fourth wave of infections was showing no sign of slowing down despite the tough social distancing rules in place.

Undersecretary for Food and Health Chui Tak-yi said at a press conference said the city recorded a total of 1,207 local cases in the past two weeks, with more than 30 percent of these cases untraceable. 

Undersecretary for Food and Health Chui Tak-yi said at a press conference said the city recorded a total of 1,207 local cases in the past two weeks, with more than 30 percent of these cases untraceable

He also that about 23 percent of the new patients in the past fortnight were asymptomatic.

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Thursday’s new infections included six imported cases and 90 local infections, said Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Centre for Health Protection’s communicable disease branch.    

Twenty-six cases were untraceable, she added. The city’s tally of confirmed infections stood at 7,899. 

Chuang added that more than 70 people tested preliminary positive as of the briefing which took place at 4:30 pm on Thursday.

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Health authorities also found a new cluster related to a hair salon, Glow Salon & Spa, in Central. Four workers at the salon and a customer were confirmed infected, Chuang said. 

The rest of more than 30 workers would be quarantined. Anyone who visited the salon after Dec 8 would be subject to mandatory testing.

Meanwhile, an 80-year-old man died on Wednesday due to the virus, according to a Hospital Authority statement. The patient, who had with chronic diseases, was admitted to the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital on Nov 23 due to fever but his condition deteriorated and he died at around 10:04 pm Wednesday.

Another patient died but was detected only at the mortuary, bringing the city's total number of deaths due to the virus to 125.