A total of 12 young persons in custody enrolled in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination this year, enriching themselves to prepare for further studies or employment after release. … read more
Hong Kong Customs yesterday (July 19) seized about one kilogram of suspected crack cocaine with an estimated market value of about $1.65 million in Kwai Chung. A 17-year-old man suspected to be connected with the case was arrested.
During an anti-narcotics operation conducted in Kwai Chung yesterday afternoon, Customs officers intercepted a man and found the batch of suspected crack cocaine inside a paper bag carried by him. The man was subsequently arrested.
The arrested man, who claimed to be unemployed, is 17 years old and has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. He will appear at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (July 21).
Customs does not rule out that drug syndicates will recruit youngsters to carry out drug trafficking activities during the summer holidays. Parents should keep an eye on their children’s friends to prevent them from taking drugs or participating in drug trafficking activities under peer influence.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
In the preceding week till 11.59pm on July 17, the Department of Health (DH) received 17 reports (Note 1) of adverse events following COVID-19 immunisation. No death cases were reported by the Hospital Authority (HA) involving individuals who had received vaccines within 14 days before they passed away and had potential association with vaccination.
As at 8pm on July 17, around 17.91 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered for members of the public. Around 6.76 million people had received at least one dose of vaccine, including 94.0 per cent of the population aged 12 or above. The DH received 7 790 reports of adverse events (0.04 per cent of the total vaccine doses administered). Among the death cases concerning persons who had been vaccinated, including 119 cases (Note 2) with vaccination within 14 days before they passed away (0.0007 per cent of the total vaccine doses administered), none of the death cases were associated with vaccination.
As of today, the Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment Following COVID-19 Immunisation had concluded that 72 death cases had no causal relationship with vaccination, while for one case the causal relationship with vaccination could not be established, and preliminarily considered that 11 cases were not associated with vaccination. Thirty-five cases are still pending further information for assessment. The Expert Committee considered that there is no unusual pattern identified so far, and will continue to closely monitor the relevant situation and collect data for assessment.
According to information from the HA, during the period from June 20 to July 17, the overall ratio of death cases was 43.8 cases for every 100 000 people, whereas the average ratio of death cases for the same period in 2018 to 2020 was 42.4 cases for every 100 000 people. Among these death cases, the ratio of death cases with acute stroke or acute myocardial infarction was 2.1 cases for every 100 000 people, whereas the average ratio of death cases under the same category for the same period in 2018 to 2020 was 2.5 cases for every 100 000 people. Furthermore, the ratio of miscarriage cases was 14.1 cases for every 100 000 people, whereas the average ratio of miscarriage cases for the same period in 2018 to 2020 was 21.7 cases for every 100 000 people. Based on the statistical analysis of the above figures, there is no evidence that vaccination increases the risk of death or miscarriage for recipients. The relevant reference statistics will be uploaded to the thematic website for the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.
The majority of non-death cases of adverse events received so far are relatively minor cases. The relevant details can be found in the “Report on the Safety Monitoring of COVID-19 Vaccines in Hong Kong” (www.drugoffice.gov.hk/eps/do/en/doc/Safety_Monitoring_of_COVID-19_Vaccines_in_Hong_Kong.pdf).
A Government spokesman said, “With more frequent traffic and social interactions recently, there has been an upward trend in daily new cases. The Hong Kong community must prudently guard against the risk of an epidemic rebound. Deaths and severe cases involving children and elderly persons, who are our focus of protection in vaccination, have been recorded in the fifth wave of the epidemic. For elderly persons, the COVID-19 vaccination rate for the elderly aged 80 or above in Hong Kong is only around 69 per cent at present, meaning that around 31 per cent of the elderly in that age group are in a dangerous situation, which is alarming.
“According to preliminary data analysis, out of the cases reported in the fifth wave, over 95 per cent of the fatal cases are elderly people aged 60 or above, with the proportion of death and hospitalised cases being the highest in those aged 80 or above. Most of the deceased cases are unvaccinated persons. As compared to the Hong Kong overall population, those who have received three doses of vaccine account for a much lower proportion among reported cases, and an extremely low proportion among the hospitalised critical/serious and deceased cases. This demonstrates the effectiveness of three doses of vaccine in preventing infection, serious illness and fatality from COVID-19. Even with just the first dose of vaccine, the risk of death can be significantly reduced. The latest research data from the University of Hong Kong also shows that receiving three doses of either the Comirnaty or CoronaVac vaccine is highly effective for preventing severe cases and deaths with over 90 per cent effectiveness. Members of the public who are currently eligible for a third dose should get the third dose as soon as possible.
“Furthermore, in response to the latest advice from experts, we have started the administration of the fourth vaccine dose for persons aged 60 or above who have received three doses of the Comirnaty or CoronaVac vaccine. They may receive the fourth dose no less than three months after their last dose. For persons aged 18 to 59 with a higher risk of COVID-19 exposure, or a greater risk of COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of their occupational setting, they may choose to receive a fourth dose no less than six months from their third dose. Members of the public may also receive a fourth dose due to personal needs (such as studying abroad or travelling). On the other hand, the minimum age for receiving the CoronaVac vaccine has been lowered to 3 years old, while the minimum age for receiving the Comirnaty vaccine is 5 years old. We call on parents to arrange vaccination for their children as early as possible for better protection.
“In addition, the Government once again reminds members of the public that recovered persons who had been infected with COVID-19 should also get vaccinated in a timely manner. For the Vaccine Pass, the recovery record QR code is valid within 180 days (i.e. six months) from the date of recovery. Therefore, the recovery record QR codes of persons who recovered at the beginning of this year will gradually expire. At that time, the recovered person may need to receive one more dose of COVID-19 vaccine to comply with the Vaccine Pass, or update their vaccination records. Specifically, recovered persons who had not received or had only received one dose of vaccine are required to receive an additional dose (first or second dose) of vaccine before their recovery record QR codes expire, in order to continue to use the Vaccine Pass. As for recovered persons who had received two or more doses of vaccine, they should update their vaccination records through the Electronic Vaccination and Testing Record System (www.evt.gov.hk), the ‘iAM Smart’ or ‘eHealth’ mobile applications before their recovery record QR codes expire, in order to continue to use the Vaccine Pass.”
Note 1: Provisional figures. In the preceding week till 11.59pm on July 17, the DH did not receive any reports of suspected myocarditis or pericarditis involving adolescents in the age group of 3 to 15.
Note 2: In the preceding week till 11.59pm on July 17, the DH received two death reports involving individuals who had received COVID-19 vaccination within 14 days before passing away. The cases involved two males aged 62 and 98. There is no clinical evidence that the incidents arose from vaccination. read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Process Review Panel for the Financial Reporting Council:
The Process Review Panel (PRP) for the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) published its 13th annual report today (July 20), covering the work of the PRP in 2021.
The Chairperson of the PRP, Ms Edith Shih, said, “In the 13th review cycle, the PRP selected and reviewed the work of the FRC in 2020 under its statutory functions of inspection, investigation and enquiry, recognition of overseas public interest entities (PIE) auditors and oversight of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ performance of specified functions. The PRP concluded from the review that the FRC had carried out the work in accordance with its internal procedures. We are grateful for the co-operation and full support rendered by the FRC in facilitating the work of the Panel and following up on our suggestions.”
The PRP is an independent panel established on November 1, 2008, to review cases handled by the FRC and consider whether the actions taken by the FRC are consistent with its internal procedures and guidelines. It comprises members appointed by the Financial Secretary under authority delegated by the Chief Executive, with the FRC Chairman as an ex-officio member. The terms of reference of the PRP cover the review of cases handled by the FRC in the areas of inspection, investigation and enquiry, discipline, oversight and recognition under the PIE auditor regulatory regime.
The full text of the annual report can be downloaded from the website of the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau at www.fstb.gov.hk/fsb/en/business/prp/afsreport_frc.html. read more
The Government today (July 20) exercised the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) to make a “restriction-testing declaration” (declaration) effective from 5pm, under which people (hereafter referred to as “persons subject to compulsory testing”) within the specified “restricted area” in Tai Po (i.e. Yee Fu Court, Tai Po Plaza, Tai Po, excluding non-domestic units under the podium, see Annex) are required to stay in their premises and undergo compulsory testing. Persons subject to compulsory testing are required to stay in their premises until all such persons identified in the “restricted area” have undergone testing and the test results are mostly ascertained. The Government aims at finishing this exercise at around noon tomorrow (July 21). The operation may be extended depending on test results.
A Government spokesman said, “Under Cap. 599J, the Government can, according to the needs of infection control, make a ‘restriction-testing declaration’. Having reviewed a basket of factors, including the viral load in sewage, the information of relevant positive cases, and other circumstantial factors, and conducted a risk assessment, the Government decided to make a ‘restriction-testing declaration’ for the relevant area.”
The Government will set up temporary specimen collection stations at the “restricted area” and request persons subject to compulsory testing to undergo testing before 11pm today. Arrangements will be made for persons subject to compulsory testing to undergo a nucleic acid test at specimen collection stations where dedicated staff will collect samples through combined nasal and throat swabs. Persons subject to compulsory testing must stay at their place of residence until all test results are ascertained to avoid cross-infection risk. The Government will make arrangement to facilitate specimen collection for people with impaired mobility. All persons in the “restricted area” who have tested positive in the past 14 days, including positive cases identified either by nucleic acid tests recorded by the Department of Health (DH) or by rapid antigen tests that have been self-declared to the DH, are not required to undergo testing in this compulsory testing exercise.
The Government spokesman said, “We understand that this exercise will cause inconvenience to the public. The Government has made arrangements to carry out testing for all persons present in the ‘restricted area’ as soon as possible. The aim is to strive to complete testing of all identified persons subject to compulsory testing and confirm the results, and finish the exercise at around noon tomorrow. The Government will make a public announcement when the declaration expires officially. In the cases in which employees are unable to go to work because of the declaration, the Government hopes their employers can exercise discretion and not deduct the salaries or benefits of the employees.”
If staying in the “restricted area” will cause unreasonable hardship to individuals who are not residents in the area when the declaration takes effect, government officers may exercise discretion and allow that person to leave the area after considering the individual circumstances. That person must have followed the instructions to undergo testing and leave his/her personal information for contact purposes.
According to the compulsory testing notice to be issued today, any persons other than those specified above who had been present at the above building for more than two hours from July 14 to July 20, 2022, even if they were not present in the “restricted area” at the time when the declaration took effect, must undergo compulsory testing on or before July 22, 2022. As a mutant strain is involved, for prudence’s sake, vaccinated persons and persons who have recently been tested are also required to undergo testing.
The Government appeals to persons subject to compulsory testing for their full co-operation by registering and undergoing testing, and waiting for the results patiently at home. The Government will strictly follow up on whether the persons concerned have complied with the compulsory testing notices and “restriction-testing declaration”. Any person who fails to comply with the compulsory testing notices commits an offence and may be fined a fixed penalty of $10,000. The person would also be issued with a compulsory testing order requiring him or her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Failure to comply with the compulsory testing order or the “restriction-testing declaration” is an offence and the offender would be liable to a fine at level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment for six months. read more