Hong Kong reports 351 new COVID-19 cases

Hong Kong reported 351 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours on Saturday, a record high in two years, official data showed.

The newly reported cases consist of eight imported cases and 343 local cases.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will take a number of measures, including a substantial increase in testing capacity, the establishment of additional quarantine facilities, and 14-day home quarantine for residents when necessary, Secretary for Food and Health of the HKSAR government Sophia Chan told a press conference on Saturday.

Since the start of a mass inoculation program in February last year, about 5.38 million people, or 79.9 percent of the eligible population in Hong Kong, have taken at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, while over 4.84 million, or 72 percent of the eligible population, have taken two doses.

Meanwhile, the number of people in Hong Kong who have taken their third booster dose surpassed 1 million on Saturday.