Hong Kong Reports 1,347 COVID-19 Cases as Healthcare System Overwhelmed

A customer wearing a face mask shops in front of partially empty shelves at a supermarket, following the outbreak of COVID-19, at Sha Tin district, in Hong Kong, on Feb. 7, 2022. Lam Yik/Reuters

HONG KONG—Hong Kong reported 1,347 new daily COVID-19 infections on Sunday, down from the previous day’s record, but the spread, with 2,000 more suspected cases, threatens the city’s overstretched healthcare system, authorities said.

The surge in COVID-19 cases, the biggest test yet for Hong Kong’s “zero-COVID” strategy, comes a day after the government said China would help the city with testing, treatment, and quarantine capacity.