Hong Kong reports 4 new imported COVID-19 cases, 12,395 in total

HONG KONG, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported four new imported cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, taking the total confirmed cases in the financial hub to 12,395.

All the newly reported cases involved mutant strains. A total of 39 cases have been reported in the past 14 days and all are imported, according to the CHP.

Since the launch of the government inoculation program in late February, around 4.68 million people, or 69.5 percent of the eligible population, have taken at least one shot of the vaccines, while around 4.48 million, or 66.6 percent are fully vaccinated.

A booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccines has been made available to eligible groups in Hong Kong. People with weak immunity and high risks of infection with the virus can receive their third dose.

A total of 57,546 people had taken the booster shot in Hong Kong as of 7:00 p.m. local time Wednesday.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government expects the third-dose vaccination for the groups to cover about 1.86 million people.