With a view to ensuring food safety and enhancing environmental hygiene, a spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said today (December 31) that the FEHD will introduce a new licensing condition … read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority: As at 9am today (December 31), 10 COVID-19 confirmed patients (case numbers: 12411, 12413, 12443, 12447, 12473, 12512, 12517, 12564, 12614 and 12633) were discharg… read more
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) announced that as of 0.00am, December 31, the CHP was investigating 19 additional confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), taking the number of cases to 12 650 in Hong Kong so far (comprising 12 649 confirmed cases and one probable case).
The newly reported cases consist of 17 imported cases and two import-related cases. All of the cases involve mutant strains. The patients comprise 10 males and nine females, aged 13 to 76. Among the imported cases, nine of them arrived in Hong Kong from Group A specified places (high-risk) with enhanced surveillance, and eight from Group A specified places (high-risk). Five patients tested positive during the “test-and-hold” arrangement upon arrival at the Temporary Specimen Collection Centre (TSCC) at Hong Kong International Airport, and 12 tested positive during quarantine, among which, case 12649 is an aircrew member who is a co-worker of an earlier confirmed imported case, 12610. Also, cases 12637 and 12654 are epidemiologically linked with an earlier confirmed imported case, 12611. The CHP had announced the case details of cases 12637, 12649 and 12654 last night (December 30) (www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202112/30/P2021123000898.htm).
Among the above-mentioned imported cases, three of them had stayed in Hong Kong during the incubation periods. Case 12639 involves a 15-year-old female patient, living at 56 Repulse Bay Road, Block 2, Repulse Bay. She departed Hong Kong on December 12 for the United States (US) and returned to Hong Kong on December 28 from the US by private jet. Her specimen collected upon arrival in the TSCC tested negative. According to the quarantine requirement for inbound travellers from a Group A specified place (high-risk) with enhanced surveillance, she underwent quarantine at the Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre for the first four days, during which her sample on December 29 tested positive. She developed a sore throat on the same day and her sample carried the N501Y and T478K mutant strains.
Case 12641 involves a 13-year-old male patient living at Tower 1, Kwun Lung Lau, 20 Lung Wah Street, Kennedy Town. He departed Hong Kong on December 16 for the United Kingdom (UK) after he tested negative on December 15. He arrived in Hong Kong on December 25 from the UK by flight CX252 and his specimen collected upon arrival in the TSCC tested negative. According to the quarantine requirement for inbound travellers from a Group A specified place (high-risk) with enhanced surveillance, he underwent quarantine for four days at the Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre. He later moved to a designated quarantine hotel to continue quarantine, during which his sample on December 29 tested positive and carried the N501Y and T478K mutant strains. The patient was asymptomatic.
Case 12648 involves a 16-year-old male patient living at Block 2, Coastal Skyline, Tung Chung. He is a family member of an earlier confirmed imported case, 12624. He departed Hong Kong on December 16 for the US after he tested negative on December 16. He arrived in Hong Kong on December 28 from the US by flight CX881 with case 12624 and his specimen collected upon arrival in the TSCC tested negative. As case 12624 tested positive, he was thus sent to the Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre for quarantine as a close contact. His sample during quarantine on December 29 tested positive. He was asymptomatic and carried the N501Y and T478K mutant strains. He studies in the English School Foundation West Island School.
Furthermore, the CHP was notified by the Taiwan health authority on December 29 of a case confirmed in Taiwan involving a 65-year-old female patient who lives at Wharney Hotel, 57-73 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai. She travelled to Taiwan on December 14 by flight CX494 after she tested negative on December 12 in Hong Kong. Her sample taken in Taiwan on December 27 tested positive. The patient was asymptomatic. She received two doses of COVID-19 vaccination (AstraZeneca) in Taiwan on July 27 and October 19.
The places where the above four patients resided and visited in Hong Kong during the incubation periods have been included in a compulsory testing notice (CTN). Specified persons who were present at the relevant venues at specified periods need to undergo compulsory testing on the specified date.
A total of 124 cases have been reported in the past 14 days (December 17 to 30). One of them is an import-related case, while the rest are imported cases.
Meanwhile, the whole genome sequencing analysis of cases announced earlier conducted by the DH’s Public Health Laboratory Services Branch confirmed that cases 12601, 12602, 12603, 12604, 12605 and 12612 all carried the Variant of Concern Omicron. These cases involve three males and three females, aged 19 to 42 years old. Three of them tested positive during the “test-and-hold” arrangement upon arrival at the TSCC and the other three tested positive during quarantine.
Together with the aforementioned cases, there are so far 87 cases involving Omicron in Hong Kong.
As CHP has recorded increasing number of asymptomatic and re-positive cases, with effect from January 1, 2022, CHP will further differentiate the cases which were tested positive into three categories: confirmed, asymptomatic and re-positive in the daily press release and at the CHP website.
Also, as the passenger flight (CX873) operated by Cathay Pacific arriving in Hong Kong from San Francisco, the US, on December 30 had three passengers who tested positive upon arrival, and the passenger flight (PR300) operated by Philippine Airlines arriving in Hong Kong from Manila, the Philippines, on December 30 had six passengers who tested positive upon arrival, the DH thus invoked the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H) to prohibit the landing of passenger flights in Hong Kong from San Francisco operated by Cathay Pacific and from Manila operated by Philippine Airlines from December 31 to January 13, 2022.
According to the testing and quarantine arrangements for local COVID-19 cases with mutant strains, the CHP reminded that 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).
Specified persons in relation to the following specified premises are also reminded to undergo compulsory testing in accordance with the CTN tomorrow (January 1):
The Government today (December 31) 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 7pm, under which people (hereafter referred to as “persons subject to compulsory testing”) within the specified “restricted area” in Tin Shui Wai (i.e. Block 2, Grandeur Terrace, No. 88 Tin Shui Road, Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, Hong Kong. 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 about 7am tomorrow (January 1, 2022).
A Government spokesman said, “Under Cap. 599J, the Government can, according to the needs of infection control, make a ‘restriction-testing declaration’. As a preliminary positive case who has lived in the abovementioned building detected today may involve mutant strain, the risk of infection in the relevant area is assessed to be likely higher, so the Government decided to make a ‘restriction-testing declaration’ for the relevant area after the test result was found to be positive.”
The Government has set up temporary specimen collection stations at the “restricted area” and request persons subject to compulsory testing to undergo testing before 1am tomorrow. Arrangements have been 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 arrange for door-to-door specimen collection for people with impaired mobility and elderly persons.
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 7am 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.
Persons in the “restricted area” who have undergone testing from December 29 to December 31, 2021, and are able to provide the SMS notification through a mobile phone or related certification containing the test results, are not required to take the test again. However, they are required to stay in their premises until all such persons identified in the area have undergone testing and the test results are mostly ascertained. Also, according to the compulsory testing notice to be issued today, any person who had been present at the above building for more than two hours from December 17 to December 31 2021, 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 January 2, 2022. As mutant strain may be involved, for prudence’s sake, vaccinated persons are also required to undergo testing.
In addition, in accordance with the latest arrangement, persons who resided in the same building as the “preliminary case” carrying variants of concern suspected to be Omicron are required to undergo compulsory testing on days 2, 3, 4, 7, 12 and 19 counting from the day subsequent to that when the relevant confirmed case last stayed in that building before being admitted to hospital for treatment or leaving Hong Kong.
The Housing Department has set up a hotline (Tel: 3190 5130) which will start operation at 7pm today for residents restricted by the declaration to make enquiries and seek assistance. The Social Welfare Department will also provide assistance to the affected persons.
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 $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 compulsory testing order or the “restriction-testing declaration” is an offence and the offender would be liable to a fine at level 4 ($25,000) and imprisonment for six months. read more
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (December 31) said that it is investigating a preliminary positive import-related case of COVID-19 involving a mutant strain. &nb… read more