Lam: Hong Kong’s fifth wave peaked in early March

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Wednesday she believed the city's fifth wave of coronavirus infections had now "reached a plateau" after dropping from its peak in early March.Hong Kong has been struggling with a fifth wave of COVID-19 and the omicron variant since the end of December last year.

Lam revealed more than 184,300 people had self-reported positive rapid antigen tests between February 26 and March 5.Hong Kong's government is aligning itself with mainland China to impose a policy of "dynamic zero COVID-19" to totally stamp out outbreaks, even as most of the world has opted to live with the virus.

The surge in cases over the past two months has put a strain on the health care system, with many of the public hospitals reaching capacity.