Hong Kong health authorities reported 32,430 new Covid-19 cases today, as the city's leader said her government was trying build capacity to deal with the crisis that has swept through care homes.

“With so many people put under isolation or quarantine, the government has been strengthening our capability to support them. However, we're still catching up,” country's Chief Executive Carrie Lam told reporters.

Some 300,000 people were isolating at home, she said, as the Omicron variant sweeps across the heavily congested financial hub, overwhelming its health care system and sparking panic buying at some supermarkets.