Residents line up for COVID-19 testing at Muk Lun Street Playground, Wong Tai Sin. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong reported on Saturday another record for the daily number of new COVID-19 cases, as the daily count crossed the 1,500 mark for the first time.

Edwin Tsui Lok-kin, controller of the Centre for Health Protection, said at a news briefing that it is the third day this week that daily infections have exceeded 1,000, describing the situation as the “toughest battle” against the virus of the past two years.

READ MORE: 32 COVID-19 cases found in Sham Shui Po targeted testing

Edwin Tsui Lok-kin, controller of the Centre for Health Protection, described the situation as the “toughest battle” against the virus of the past two years

The city reported 1,514 confirmed cases on Saturday, while more than 1,500 people tested preliminarily positive, said Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection. The new confirmed cases comprised five imported infections and 1,509 local ones.

Tsui said that more than 80 residents and employees of 42 care homes have been infected in the current outbreak. He said that is very worrying, as many of the residents are unvaccinated and at risk of developing serious complications if they contract COVID-19.

He said he expects the infection number to remain high in the near term, and urged residents to refrain from attending gatherings so as to cut off transmission chains as soon as possible.

"Please stay at home. We need your cooperation," Tsui said.

Hospital beds for COVID-19 patients are already at around 90 percent occupancy, while isolation facilities were also nearing their maximum, authorities have said.

A four-year-old boy came down with a fever on Wednesday and was admitted to Pok Oi Hospital in Yuen Long at around 3 am on Friday. Hospital staff performed resuscitation on him, who had no pulse and was not breathing at the time. He was certified dead around an hour later, and his COVID-19 test came back positive

As infections surged, Tsui said 2,000 units at the Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre will be vacated to isolate COVID-19 patients with mild or no symptoms.

ALSO READ: Mainland moves imminent to further help HK with outbreak

Larry Lee Lap-yip, chief manager (Integrated Clinical Services) of the Hospital Authority, said at the same briefing that three more COVID-19 patients have died.

Among them was a four-year-old boy who came down with a fever on Wednesday and was admitted to Pok Oi Hospital in Yuen Long at around 3 am on Friday. Hospital staff performed resuscitation on the boy, who had no pulse and was not breathing at the time. He was certified dead around an hour later, and his COVID-19 test came back positive.

His case has been referred to the coroner for a follow-up investigation, according to the hospital.

The other two patients who died were a vaccinated 75-year-old man and a 97-year-old man who had not been vaccinated.

The additions brought the number of COVID-19 related deaths in the city to 221.

Lee added that three patients are currently in critical condition and another 16 are in serious condition. More than 50 Hospital Authority employees were initially diagnosed.