The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (October 7) said that it is investigating a preliminary positive local case of COVID-19 from an unknown source involving the L452R mutant strain.
The case involves a 48-year-old male patient who lives at Golden Glory Court, Phase 1, Golden Lion Garden, Sha Tin. He has been asymptomatic. He works as a cargo handler at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and has to undergo COVID-19 testing weekly. He tested negative on September 29 but the sample he submitted on October 6 tested preliminarily positive. His specimen carried the L452R mutant strain, but was negative for the N501Y and E484K strains.
Preliminary information revealed that he has no recent travel history and he mainly performed duties at SuperTerminal 1 of HKIA. He last went to work on October 7. The CHP's investigation revealed that the patient received two doses of COVID-19 vaccination on June 25 and July 28 (CoronaVac) in Hong Kong.
The Government will make a "restriction-testing declaration" for Golden Glory Court, Phase 1, Golden Lion Garden, Sha Tin, tonight. Residents of the building will also be subject to compulsory testing on days 3, 7, 12 and 19 counting from the day on which the case is announced. The patient's workplace (HKIA) and the places he had visited during the incubation period will be included in a compulsory testing notice. Specified persons who had been present at the relevant venues at specified periods need to undergo compulsory testing on or before the specified date.
Epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing on the case are ongoing. As a prudent measure, apart from arranging for close contacts of the case to undergo quarantine at a quarantine centre (QC) for 21 days, the CHP will also arrange for the household contacts of those close contacts to carry out at least three days of quarantine at a QC. The household contacts will be released after they test negative and the first test result of the close contacts tested negative in a QC.
​​The CHP also urges all individuals who are in doubt about their own health condition, or individuals with exposure to infection risk, to undergo testing promptly for early identification of infected persons. Moreover, 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).
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