April 16, 2003
The following is jointly issued by the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority:
As at 3 pm today (April 16), 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.
A total of 257 patients have recovered from atypical pneumonia and have been discharged from public hospitals. Of them, 14 were discharged today.
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. 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:
| Nature | Cumulative Number | Total No. of Discharged Patients |
Total No. of
Deaths * |
| Health care workers of Hospitals/Clinics and medical students | 298 | 100 | 61 |
| Patients, family members & visitors | 970 | 157 | |
| Total | 1268 | 257 |
| * |
Most of the deaths occurred in individuals who have a history of chronic diseases, or were patients who sought treatment at a relatively late stage of infection. |