Chief executive Mr Tung Chee-hwa admitted this afternoon the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has been disastrous for Hong Kong as four more deaths were reported in the hard-hit city.
The death toll in the city has now risen to 69, with 37 of those victims succumbing in the past seven days alone.
The latest deaths included a 63-year-old female and two males, aged 73 and 67, all with a history of chronic disease. The other fatality involved a 42-year-old male who had no history of illness.
The authorities do not include in their figures an American national who was pronounced dead on arrival at a Hong Kong hospital last week after being transferred from mainland China.
Thirty new cases of the disease were also reported taking the total to 1,327. Fifty patients were discharged from hospital bringing the total number of people who have recovered to 322, while 112 patients remain in intensive care.
Mr Tung earlier told reporters the SARS outbreak had been a "disaster" and admitted for the first time that the government had been slow to react to the city's worst outbreak at a housing complex last month.
"No matter which way you look at it, it is a disaster," said a stone-faced Mr Tung.