Press Release - April 16, 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 257 patients have recovered from atypical pneumonia and have been discharged from public hospitals. Of them, 14 were discharged today (April 16).

As at 3 pm today, there is an additional 36 patients confirmed to have atypical pneumonia following admission to public hospitals earlier. They include seven healthcare workers (six from Princess Margaret Hospital and one from Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital). The remaining 29 were other patients and contacts of patients with atypical pneumonia.

Most of the patients currently in hospital are showing positive responses to the new treatment protocol. One hundred and twenty-two patients are receiving treatment in intensive care unit.

Five patients died in hospitals, bring to 61 the total number of deaths relating to atypical pneumonia in Hong Kong. A 54-year-old female and a 73-year-old male, both with a history of chronic disease, died in Queen Elizabeth Hospital. A 44-year-old male and a 62-year-old female died in Princess Margaret Hospital. Another chronically ill male patient, aged 73, died in Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital.

The cumulative figure for patients who have been admitted to public hospitals with atypical pneumonia since March 12 is as follows: