This Sept 5, 2017 photo shows the Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG – The Hospital Authority is actively enhancing its capacity to handle the increasing number of COVID-19 patients, giving top priority to Hong Kong’s needy groups. 

Dr Larry Lee, chief manager (Integrated Clinical Services) of the Hospital Authority, explained the authority's strategies on patient placement in a press briefing Friday afternoon. 

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We are on the way to using the second phase at Penny’s Bay. There will be 1,200 rooms ready and more will be coming.

Dr Larry Lee, Chief Manager (Integrated Clinical Services), Hospital Authority 

“Talking about the strategies of how we handle a huge number of patients, actually we share the direction that we try to limit the public hospitals to handle only those needy groups, including the elderly, kids and also people with other special considerations such as patients with major medical backgrounds or maybe those who are pregnant,” said Dr Lee. 

For the other confirmed cases, the Hospital Authority will consider their placements or maybe their isolation will be in the Hospital Authority Community Treatment Facility at AsiaWorld-Expo and also the community isolation facility at Penny’s Bay, he said. 

Dr Lee said the Hospital Authority has been preparing more rooms for patients at Penny’s Bay and the AsiaWorld-Expo facilities. 

The authorities are on the way to using the second phase at Penny’s Bay. There will be 1,200 rooms ready and more will be coming. 

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“And actually, we are actively preparing to use the other phases at Penny’s Bay, and also the additional halls in the AsiaWorld-Expo,” he added.