Patients sleep at a makeshift Covid-19 treatment area outside a hospital in Hong Kong Tuesday. The city reported 55,353 cases on Wednesday, setting a daily infection record. Photo: IC Photo

Health care workers transfer a patient from an ambulance at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong on Wednesday. From Feb. 16 to Tuesday, Hong Kong reported a total of 211,323 cases. Photo: VCG

A health care worker discards clinical waste outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital Wednesday. Photo: VCG

Residents queue outside a pharmacy to purchase Covid-19 test kits on Tuesday in Hong Kong. Photo: VCG

A woman purchases Covid-19 test kits Tuesday in Hong Kong. The local government allowed residents to take Covid-19 tests home on Saturday as the number of infections skyrocketed. Photo: VCG

Residents line up to receive free Covid-19 vaccinations Monday. Photo: IC Photo

Residents buy daily supplies at a supermarket Wednesday amid fears of possible full lockdown. Photo: Zhang Wei/China News Service, IC Photo

People crowd an outdoor market Monday. Photo: VCG

Patients wait in a temporary holding area outside a hospital in Hong Kong to get treatment on Wednesday, the day the city reported 117 coronavirus-related deaths in the older population. Photo: VCG