Press release - May 10, 2003

The following is jointly issued by the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR):

In Hong Kong, a total of 1035 patients have recovered from atypical pneumonia and have been discharged from public hospitals. Of them, 20 were discharged today (May 10). There are now 427 patients in hospital, of whom 89 are recovering patients who are in convalescence and preparation for discharge.

As at 1 pm today, there is an additional 7 patients confirmed to have atypical pneumonia following admission to public hospitals earlier.

Most of the patients currently in hospital are showing positive responses to the treatment protocol. Sixty-seven patients are receiving treatment in intensive care unit.

Two patients died in Tai Po Hospital (TPH) and Caritas Medical Centre (CMC) respectively. This brought to 212 the total number of deaths relating to atypical pneumonia in Hong Kong.

The deceased include a 79-year-old man and a 73-year-old woman. Their information is as follows: