Huddled under blankets and thermal shields, dozens of elderly patients shivered on gurneys outside a hospital serving one of Hong Kong's poorest communities — a grim tableau for the city as its health system buckles under an Omicron-fuelled coronavirus wave, AFP reports.

“We are worried that the patients' conditions will worsen later this week,” a nurse in full-body protective gear told AFP, calling the situation “very undesirable”.

Before the latest wave, Hong Kong had recorded just over 12,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Health experts say the daily case numbers could rise to 28,000 by March.