Experts in Hong Kong warn the city could see nearly 30,000 daily COVID-19 infections by the end of March if trends continue.
University of Hong Kong experts said this week that 28,000 new cases a day are possible next month, Reuters reported. By June, it is possible to see the city’s daily death toll at 1,000.
On Thursday, the city found 986 new COVID-19 cases, a high number for an area that only had two cases of the coronavirus in all of December.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam warned of the seriousness of the situation, saying more than 50 percent of the elderly have not been vaccinated against the virus, according to Reuters.
Hong Kong’s older residents, who are most likely to get seriously ill or die from COVID-19, have been hesitant about the shot despite 82 percent of residents overall in the city having at least one dose of the vaccine.
Earlier this week, new coronavirus measures were announced in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, although a complete lockdown was not proposed.
Public gatherings were limited to two people and churches and hair salons were forced to shut down.
“The time has come for Hong Kong to take some tough measures,” Lam said at the time. “We are adopting stringent measures to protect Hong Kong.”