Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on March 9, 2022, announced three public hospitals in the city have been or will be converted into centres for solely treating Covid-19 patients, as infections in the city continue rising. Lam said the government is determined to isolate infected patients in hospitals and other facilities to curb the spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant, which has brought the city's health care system to its knees.