The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     As at 9am today (January 14), 12 patients who had tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus (case numbers: 12531, 12541, 12588, 12593, 12643, 12665, 12669, 12678, 12735, 12745, 12795 and 12929) were discharged from hospital in the last 24 hours. So far, a total of 12 339 patients have been discharged.

     A total of 428 patients who had tested positive are currently hospitalised in the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre, the Hospital Authority (HA) Infectious Disease Centre, the Community Treatment Facility at AsiaWorld-Expo and a public hospital. All of them are in stable condition.

     The HA will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner. 

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (January 14) reminded members of the public that a "restriction-testing declaration" (RTD) has been made for the residences of one of the cases tested preliminarily positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus the CHP is following up. The CHP strongly reminds relevant residents that they must comply with the RTD operations. Any person who fails to present an SMS notification with a test result or wear a wristband as proof of having undergone testing breaches the compulsory testing notice and may be liable to a fine of $5,000. The person will also be issued with a compulsory testing order, requiring him/her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Failure to comply with the compulsory testing order or the RTD is an offence and the offender may be liable to a fine of level 4 ($25,000) and imprisonment for six months.

     The case involves a 51-year-old female patient living in Tower 4, Bauhinia Garden, 11 Tong Chun Street, Tseung Kwan O. She works as a security guard at the Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre (PBQC), same as an earlier case 13004. Her last working day was on January 11.  She was classified as a close contact of case 13004 and was arranged to undergo quarantine at the PBQC on January 11. She developed symptoms on January 13 and tested preliminary positive on January 14. She received two doses of COVID-19 vaccination (CoronaVac) in Hong Kong on August 30 and September 27, 2021.

     The Government has made a RTD tonight for the building where the patient resided (Tower 4, Bauhinia Garden, 11 Tong Chun Street, Tseung Kwan O) and persons who resided or worked at the building will be subject to increased compulsory testing frequency. The places where she had visited during the incubation periods will also be included in a compulsory testing notice. Specified persons who were present at the relevant venues at specified periods need to undergo compulsory testing on the specified date.

     The spokesman for the CHP said, "The Government has remained vigilant and has been closely monitoring the latest scientific data on mutant strains as well as the epidemic situation of various places. The most stringent anti-epidemic measures will be implemented to prevent the mutant strains from spreading in the local community."

     â€‹At the moment, the adverse impact on the epidemic situation caused by the newly emerged mutant strains is not fully known yet, but vaccination is still essential to prevent severe cases and deaths from COVID-19 infection. The Government has launched the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme. Members of the public are encouraged to get vaccinated. Details of the programme can be found at the designated website (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk).
 

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (January 14) announced the latest epidemic situation of COVID-19. As of 0.00am, January 14, the CHP was investigating two additional confirmed cases and seven additional asymptomatic cases in the past 24 hours (i.e. there were nine additional cases that tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus confirmed by the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch (PHLSB) in those 24 hours). This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 12 854 so far and starting from January 1 recorded, with 169 asymptomatic cases and two re-positive cases (Cases 12819 and 12886). Hong Kong has recorded a total of 13 025 cases that tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus so far.

     The newly reported cases consist of six imported cases, two cases epidemiologically linked with imported cases and one local case. All of the cases involved mutant strains. The patients comprise four males and five females, aged 21 to 48. For case details and contact tracing information, please see the Annex or the "COVID-19 Thematic Website" (www.coronavirus.gov.hk).

     The two cases epidemiologically linked with imported cases are 13026 (21-year-old female who worked at the clinic at Gold Coast Piazza on January 3 when cases 12987 and 12988 sought medical attention there) and 13027 (46-year-old female who is a household contact of case 12860). The local case 13022 involves a 29-year-old male patient living at Yat Wan House, Tin Yat Estate, Tin Shui Wai. He worked at construction sites in Kai Tak and Tai Po, and as a takeaway food courier in Yuen Long. He last went to work on January 6, January 12 and January 10 respectively. He was admitted to hospital on January 12 because of a traffic accident, and tested preliminarily positive in the admission screening, with a Ct value larger than 30. Initial investigation revealed that he has no recent travel history and has not visited places where cases that tested positive appeared. The CHP has so far not found any close contacts between the case and other recent cases that tested positive, and is now investigating the places where the patient visited in the past 21 days in order to ascertain the infection source and to terminate the silent transmission chains in the community.
 
     Separately, the test result of the PHLSB for confirmation of a case that tested preliminarily positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus indicates that the sample was possibly contaminated by a vaccine strain. The case involves a 22-year-old female patient living in Block 2, Hoi Tak Gardens, 13-17 Wing Fat Lane, Tuen Mun. She is a nurse who works at three clinics of JP Partners Medical in Tuen Mun (Gold Coast Piazza; Lin Wong Building, 2-14 Tak Ching Court; and New Town Mansion, Tuen Lee Street), same as case 13026. The sample tested preliminary positive by a private laboratory with a Ct value larger than 30. Testing by the PHLSB confirmed that the sample does not carry the N501Y mutant strain but carried the D614D strain, which is compatible with the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine strain. The test result for the virus after admission to hospital was negative and she did not have any conditions that could be caused by a real infection. As the sample was taken at a clinic of JP Partners Medical in Chi Lok Fa Yuen, the CHP visited the relevant clinic today to understand the situation. Initial analysis revealed that the positive test results of the sample were not caused by infection. After examining the clinical, epidemiological and laboratory findings, the CHP considered that the case is compatible with vaccine strain contamination and hence will not be classified as a case of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. The quarantine order of her close contacts will be lifted.

     A total of 385 cases that tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been reported in the past 14 days (December 31, 2021, to January 13, 2022). Fifty-nine of them are epidemiologically linked with imported cases/possibly import-related cases, one is a local case, and the rest are imported cases.

     Meanwhile, the whole genome sequencing analysis of cases announced earlier conducted by the PHLSB confirmed that cases 12667, 12668, 12691, 12769, 12799, 12811, 12855, 12862, 12865, 12868, 12871, 12874, 12877 to 12885, 12887 to 12904, 12906, 12907, 12911 to 12914, 12916 to 12928, 12930 to 12937, 12939, 12940 and 13004 all carried the Variant of Concern Omicron. Together with the aforementioned cases, there are so far 396 cases involving Omicron in Hong Kong.

     According to the testing and quarantine arrangements for cases with mutant strains, persons who resided or worked within the same building as the residence of relevant cases will be subject to compulsory testing on specified dates in accordance with the announcement by the DH. They will also be required to undergo self-monitoring until the 21st day (see the details of the buildings and dates of testing at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/CTN_Specified_premises_and_Dates_of_Testing.pdf).

     The CHP strongly reminded members of the public to strictly follow the compulsory testing requirements and undergo the multiple tests on time as required. The compulsory testing requirement applies to those who have completed a COVID-19 vaccination course as well. The Government will seriously verify whether they had complied with the testing notices. Any person who fails to comply with the testing notices commits an offence and may be fined a fixed penalty of $5,000. 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 order is an offence and the offender would be liable to a fine at level 4 ($25,000) and imprisonment for six months. Relevant officers of different government departments are empowered to perform certain functions under the relevant Regulations under the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance (Cap. 599), including requesting individuals to provide information and assistance when necessary. Any person who fails to comply with the relevant request commits an offence and would be liable to a fine at level 3 ($10,000). The Government reiterates that the aim of issuing a compulsory testing notice is to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the community as soon as possible to protect overall public health and safety.

     With the higher transmissibility and risk of infection of the Omicron mutant strain, the CHP strongly appeals to the community to comply with the recently tightened social distancing measures in the next two weeks, and to refrain from participating in unnecessary or crowded activities or gatherings (particularly religious or cross-family activities and gatherings). This would lower the risk of infection and prevent the virus from spreading in the community.

     The spokesman for the CHP stressed, "The global situation of COVID-19 infection remains severe and there is a continuous increase in the number of cases involving mutant strains that carry higher transmissibility, and there are also reports of breakthrough infections in some vaccinated individuals. The CHP strongly urges members of the public to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong, in particular to specified places with high risk under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H)."

     The Department of Health (DH) today (January 14) urged members of the public to support Cervical Cancer Awareness Month through increasing their awareness of cervical cancer and its preventive measures.

     Cervical Cancer Awareness Month has been designated as every January by the International Agency for Research on Cancer under the World Health Organization, with an aim of reducing the burden of cervical cancer on society and ultimately eliminating the preventable disease through global co-operation by the end of this century.

     The local incidence of cervical cancer in Hong Kong has been on an overall decreasing trend in the last two decades (see Annex). There were 520 new cases of cervical cancer reported in 2019, accounting for 3.0 per cent of all new cancer cases in the female population, making it the eighth most common female cancer in Hong Kong. In 2020, 159 females died of cervical cancer, accounting for 2.6 per cent of all female cancer deaths.

     Cervical cancer is caused by persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). Reported risk factors for persistent HPV infection and development of cervical cancer include early first sexual intercourse, multiple sexual partners, tobacco use, chronic immunosuppression (e.g. Human Immunodeficiency Virus-infected individuals and organ transplant recipients), increasing parity, younger age at full-term pregnancy, long-term use of oral contraceptive pills for more than five years and co-infection with sexually transmitted diseases.

     Cervical cancer is one of the preventable cancers and is largely preventable through both vaccination and screening for precursor lesions, with appropriate follow-up and treatment. Back in 2004, the DH launched the Cervical Screening Programme (CSP) in collaboration with the healthcare sector and non-governmental organisations to facilitate and encourage women aged between 25 and 64 who ever had sex to receive regular cervical cancer screening. Participating individuals can also register with the Cervical Screening Information System (CSIS) to review their screening records, receive screening reminders, and authorise selected service providers to review their screening records for more co-ordinated care. As of December 30, 2021, more than 630 000 women had registered with the CSIS. Subsidised cervical screening is currently offered at Maternal and Child Health Centres of the DH where eligible persons pay $100 for each screening. Payment is waived for recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance and holders of the Certificate for Waiver of Medical Charges.

     To further encourage regular cervical cancer screening, the DH has also been conducting various health promotion activities, including distribution of health education resources and publicity via various media channels and online social media. Health educational materials are available in different languages (including Bahasa Indonesia, Hindi, Nepali, Tagalog, Thai and Urdu) for the ethnic minorities to understand the details of the CSP and the services available.

     As a primary preventive strategy for the prevention of cervical cancer, starting from the 2019/20 school year, the DH has provided free HPV vaccination to eligible Primary Five and Six female students under the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme (CIP). The first dose of HPV vaccine is given via outreach by the DH's School Immunisation Teams to Primary Five female students at their schools, and a second dose is given to the girls when they reach Primary Six in the following school year. The latest coverage rate of HPV vaccination in 2020/21 school year for Primary Five and Six female students under the CIP is about 82 per cent.

     "Apart from vaccination and regular screening, members of the public are also urged to practise safer sex (e.g. use condoms and avoid having multiple sexual partners) and avoid tobacco smoking, to further reduce the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer," a spokesman for the DH advised. 

     Further health advice on the prevention of cervical cancer is available at the CSP website (www.cervicalscreening.gov.hk/en/index.html). To know more about Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, please visit iarc.who.int/featured-news/iarc-marks-cervical-cancer-awareness-month-2022.

     The Government announced today (January 14) that the place-specific flight suspension mechanism for Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the United States of America will be extended for 14 days to February 4. The Government will also specify Armenia, Bonaire, Guatemala and New Caledonia as Group A specified places from 0.00am on January 17 to tighten the boarding and quarantine requirements for relevant inbound travellers.

Place-specific flight suspension mechanism for eight places
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     In view of the continuously worsening global epidemic situation due to the Omicron variant, the Government earlier invoked the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H) to implement the place-specific flight suspension mechanism from January 8 (Hong Kong time) for Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. All passenger flights from these eight places will be prohibited from landing in Hong Kong, and at the same time, persons who have stayed in these places for more than two hours within 21 days will be restricted from boarding passenger flights for Hong Kong, so as to stop persons from the relevant places from travelling to Hong Kong via transit. The relevant measure was to be maintained for 14 days up to January 21. Considering that the local epidemic situation has not yet stabilised and enhanced measures are required to suppress the risks of local transmission, while the epidemic situation in relevant places continue to be severe, resuming the flights would pose great importation risks to Hong Kong. The Government has therefore decided that there is a need to extend the relevant measure for another 14 days (that is, from 0.00am on January 22 (Hong Kong time) to February 4), in order to further reduce the number of persons arriving at Hong Kong from overseas high risk places, so as to intercept the importation of cases.
    
     The Government will review in due course whether the place-specific flight suspension mechanism should be lifted or continued by taking into account the latest global and local epidemic developments.

     A Government spokesman said, "We understand that the place-specific flight suspension mechanism is an extremely stringent emergency measure, and all along large numbers of Hong Kong residents have been returning to the city from these eight places, so the relevant measure will inevitably affect their return journeys. However, we must act decisively to lower the risk to the local epidemic situation so as to quickly quell the epidemic situation, such that it would not be necessary to maintain the most stringent prevention and control measures for a long time."

Tightening boarding and quarantine requirements for places with Omicron cases detected
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     Meanwhile, in view of the latest global developments of the COVID-19 pandemic situation, Armenia, Bonaire, Guatemala and New Caledonia will be specified as Group A specified places from 0.00am on January 17 to tighten the boarding and quarantine requirements for relevant inbound travellers.

     To manage and prevent the importation risks posed by Omicron cases, the Government continues to employ the most stringent measures to guard against importation of cases. Overseas places where Omicron cases have been detected that may lead to local transmission and exportation of cases will be specified as Group A specified places. Noting that the detection of Omicron cases was confirmed in Armenia, Bonaire, Guatemala and New Caledonia, the Government will specify them as Group A specified places from 0.00am on January 17. Non-Hong Kong residents who have stayed there within 21 days will not be allowed to enter Hong Kong. Hong Kong residents can only board a flight for Hong Kong if they have been fully vaccinated and hold a recognised vaccination record. They will have to undergo compulsory quarantine in a designated quarantine hotel for 21 days upon returning to Hong Kong, with six tests to be conducted during quarantine, followed by compulsory testing in a community testing centre on the 26th day of arrival in Hong Kong.

     Details on the relevant boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements for respective specified places can be found at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/inbound-travel.html.

     The Government will gazette the relevant updated specifications under Cap. 599H to effect the above measures.