Hong Kong reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, with two identified under a mass testing program, taking the total tally to 4,925.
Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection reported nine imported cases and three local ones at a press briefing on Friday. Of local infections, one was related to a previous case and the other two involved participants of the ongoing Universal Community Testing Program.
As of Friday morning, more than 1.5 million samples had been collected under the program launched on Sept. 1.
Patrick Nip, secretary for the civil service of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, promised continued efforts to test people with high risks of getting infected to curb the COVID-19 spread.
The epidemic has caused 99 deaths in Hong Kong and left 190 people still hospitalized, including 21 in critical condition.
