Covid-19 is on the rise again in Hong Kong with a single patient now able to spread the virus to more than two other people on average when no precautions are in force, the latest health statistics have shown.

The interactive web-based Covid-19 case tracker run by the University of Hong Kong revealed the real-time effective reproductive number (Rt) for city cases jumped to 2.07 on March 30, up from 1.09 on March 29.

It was the highest reproductive number since early March last year and could signal another outbreak.