Hong Kong faces third COVID-19 wave

City officials in Hong Kong are warning about the possibility of another major coronavirus outbreak in the region after a surge in new infections over the past few days.

CNN reported Thursday that the head of infectious disease research at Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection (CHP) warned that an “exponential” growth in cases could be around the corner if officials do not gain control over a small-scale outbreak of cases reported this week.

“It is possible there could be a major outbreak,” Chuang Shuk-kwan said. “There could be a sudden exponential growth of cases.”

The city has reported 65 new cases since Sunday, including 31 identified as transmitted from person-to-person within the city, according to CNN.

“Since last weekend, the epidemic situation in Hong Kong has changed rapidly, and the situation has become very critical,” added another CHP official on Tuesday, CNN reported.

The city moved to close its borders to most nonresidents for nonessential travel earlier this year, a provision which has been extended to early September as officials continue to battle the pandemic. The province has continued allowing travel from mainland China and a select few other locations albeit with quarantine measures in place for travelers.

A total of just under 1,400 cases have been confirmed in Hong Kong since the outbreak began, with just 7 deaths from the disease so far. Worldwide, more than 12 million cases have been confirmed with more than 3 million of those in the U.S., which has more infections than any other country.