Hong Kong’s health facilities have been overloaded by an “onslaught” of Covid-19 infections, its leader said, as a rise in Omicron cases threatens to bring down the city’s “zero-Covid” policy.

Authorities have adhered to mainland China’s policy of stamping out the smallest outbreak with mass quarantine, widespread tracking, and prolonged social distancing measures since the start of the pandemic.

But, the extremely contagious Omicron variant breached the Chinese territory’s defences in late December, piling up more than 8,000 infections in a few weeks with researchers warning that daily cases could exceed 25,000 by next month.

While the infection rate remains low compared to major cities around the world, Hong Kong’s policy of sending even asymptomatic cases to hospitals and quarantine facilities has filled up beds and amplified wait times.